


His Irish Angel PT 9 : Back From the Dead

by DavinaCFox



Series: His Irish Angel [9]
Category: Gotham (TV), Re-Animator (Movies), Would You Rather (2012)
Genre: Anal Fisting, Anal Sex, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Roller Coaster, Eventual Happy Ending, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Falling In Love, Feels, Forgiveness, Friendship/Love, Gang Violence, Heartbreak, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, Life Threatening Illness, Lingerie, Love, Love Confessions, Love Triangles, M/M, Medical Kink, Medical Procedures, Needles, Oral Sex, Orgasm, Revenge, Search for a Cure, Serious Injuries, Sex Toys, Strong Female Characters, Survival, Tenderness, Trauma, True Love, Understanding, Vaginal Sex, bringing back the dead, plus some reanimator corpse fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:40:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 96,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24588466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DavinaCFox/pseuds/DavinaCFox
Summary: When Julian is hurt in an assassination attempt, furious Oswald wants the shooter to pay – but Julian recognises her as Amy, a woman he had believed to be dead after his late father's sadistic dinner party game. When he hears her story he realises they have much in common, awakening feelings for Amy that take him by surprise, as Amy is also a victim of experiments at Ashecliffe, and with a slowly progressing terminal condition because of it. But this doesn't stop her from bearing a grudge against Jax for his interrogation methods after the shooting, and hurling vengeful allegations that could end his career...Meanwhile, Oswald and Molly ask Josh to help get Cain under control, as he poses a threat to the peace of the underworld, driven half mad by grief over the loss of Ronny, as River tries and fails to find a way to bring her back. Then help is offered from an unexpected source – Shepard Lambrick had a twin brother, a controversial scientist familiar with many years working in a similar field to Hugo Strange, but his name is Doctor Herbert West, and he is seeking protection of the Gotham city underworld as he is a wanted man, due to the havoc caused by his previous experiments – to reanimate the dead...
Relationships: Herbert West/Amy, Julian Lambrick/Amy, Oswald Cobblepot/Julian Lambrick/Original Female Character(s), Selina Kyle/Original Male Character
Series: His Irish Angel [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1531589
Comments: 60





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BraveVesperia01](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BraveVesperia01/gifts).



Chapter 1

The weather was overcast and grey, rain was falling hard as if in sympathy with the mood in the Cobblepot house. Oswald was alone in the study after speaking for more than an hour to a local gang boss who had a complaint about Cain. It seemed his eldest son had decided to smash up a bar after accusing the boss of failing to disclose profits to his father. Oswald knew this wasn't true, the guy was honest – it was Cain, his son wanted to lash out at the whole world since Ronnie's death, and sometimes he swore he caught a look in his eyes that almost reminded him of Ed back in the days when he popped too many pills. Ronnie drank often these days, and when he wasn't drunk, he was up in his room, silent and brooding over the loss of his girlfriend. Ronnie's death had saddened everyone who knew her, Oswald was sure he felt it deeply too, on another level as he thought about Ronnie's mother and how she had died in his service too. But his eldest son had loved her and for now, Ronnie's body was on ice, where it would stay, denied a funeral because Cain insisted on waiting, hoping River would come up with something to offer hope of bringing her back.

_It wasn't possible so far._

Ronnie's injuries were too severe. Even Molly's brother, as one of the Resurrected, had taken one look at her and said the strength of his lab created healing abilities would certainly heal her torn throat – but snap her neck at the same time, and her neck was already broken. River had tried several repair agents that looked good in theory – but Ronnie had a mass of damaged brain tissue that was too great for replacement with copy cells. She had looked into robotics, but even if that worked – if the loss of the brain matter could be worked around - that left the question hanging in the air of, what quality of life would Ronnie have with a partial cyborg brain? It wasn't an option anyway, not with the surrounding tissue so damaged.

River had been sure to treat Ronnie with the right chemicals to ensure if she could be brought back, she was preserved and able to do so – but for now that girl was on ice in the morgue at the clinic, and the thought of it made Oswald almost as sad as he felt at knowing Cain was slowly losing his grip on his sanity over her death. Now he regretted allowing Can to keep the power he had been handed in his absence, eighteen year old Cain wasn't ready for an underworld role, no matter how well he had handled the crowd at the press conference when he had to cope with his father's disappearance. Oswald gave a heavy sigh as he looked to the fireplace and the flames reflected within, as he thought about his own father and how he had once warned him that a certain darkness ran in this family like a curse.

_Yes, it did._

_It was called depression._

_And Oswald knew he suffered it and so did his son Cain..._

As he thought on these things, the door opened and Molly came in and the sight of her brought some light into an otherwise dark morning.

“I brought you some tea because it's too early to start on the stronger stuff,” she told him, and set the tray down on the desk and then paused to kiss his cheek. Any trace of a smile on her face was gone as she saw worry reflecting in his eyes.

“I hate to see you like this, Ozzie,” she said, and stood behind his chair to briefly rub his shoulders through the fabric of his dark suit. Oswald reached up, placing his hand over hers as he met her gaze.

“Molly my dear, I think you will see me like this until Cain is at peace with himself once more. I've thought about taking back his authority, forcing him to wait before he has any kind of say in the running of the underworld – but if I take that power from him, on top of his loss of Ronnie, I don't think he can cope with that.”

Molly stood beside him, then shifted the tray over and sat on the edge of the desk as her green eyes met with his arctic gaze.

“And if our son can't take being told he has to step back, that means he wasn't ready to come forward in the first place, love. This is Cain we're taking about! He's got a lot of growing up to do and he needs to understand himself a lot better, control his temper and his moods before he's able to stand in for you.”

Oswald sipped his tea and set it down carefully on the fine china saucer.

“Grief is tough to process at any age,” he said to her, “But Cain's so young, Molly!”

She nodded. Nothing hurt worse than watching their eldest child go through so much pain, knowing there was little they could do about it. Cain lived for the day Ronnie would be revived. River had told him it was unlikely, but he refused to give up. And he spent a lot of time in the company of Ed Nygma – she hoped that wasn't why his pupils sometimes looked dilated, Ed had sworn he was off the drugs and had been for years, but then again, he had promised to be faithful to Lee and now his marriage was hanging by a thread. He was lucky to have got his job back as underworld media representative. But Oswald had always been soft on Ed, even forgiving him - eventually - for the death of Beth Crane... He wouldn't be soft at all if he found out Ed was supplying Cain with drugs. Molly hoped she was wrong about that, she really, desperately hoped she was wrong...

Oswald placed a hand on the fabric of her skinny jeans, fondly running his hand up her leg as he looked into her eyes.

“I'm sure he will find a way through this. We just have to be there for him, love,” Molly reminded him, “And let's be glad Luna is in her early teens and not turning into a teenager from hell, and Felix is doing great at school and Lucy is hiding her gifts and behaving like a normal six year old, and Gertie is a happy smiling baby! We have a big family, Ozzie. Imagine what it would be like if more of our kids had problems – we should consider ourselves lucky.”

“You're right, you always are!” Oswald agreed, and then he smiled, feeling her words sink in as truth. Then he glanced at the clock on the wall.

“Where's Julian?”

“He got up early, went for his run, came back, got dressed, got the kids up, fed Gertie, then he took the kids to school for me,” she said, “And now he's on his way to the office because has a big meeting at ten am.”

Oswald remembered.

“Oh yes, I instructed Jax and Josh to be there by eleven thirty to wait for him – I want them both there to escort him out of the building, it's a very important meeting today.”

Molly felt warm in her heart as she thought of Julian, Mayor of Gotham, meeting with city officials to discuss plans for a massive renovation of the north east side of the city, a place still scarred by the days of war, in need of tearing down so an ambitious plan for safe and clean social housing could go ahead. Unfortunately it also meant taking more than two miles of green space up too, something that hadn't sat well with all sectors of the city, but as Julian had said, people needed decent affordable homes, and he wanted to do all he could to support the plans. Oswald had decided his Generals should be there to escort him out because of the controversy surrounding it. Molly was glad he made that choice, it was never lost on her that being mayor of this city could sometimes prove dangerous, and they both wanted to ensure his safety.

“Maybe we should go up there later and wait for him, meet him in the car?” Molly suggested.

Then the baby monitor on Oswald's desk lit up as Gertie started to cry. Oswald smiled warmly as he got up and reached for his cane.

“I'll go to her, Molly,” he said and limped out of the room.

Over at the clinic, as he walked up the corridor his polished shoes caught the light. Cain Cobblepot's spiked hair was as dark as his father and his face almost as pale. His tearful blue- green eyes were reddened by crying, but his tears had stopped now. As he headed for the door that led to the morgue, no one who passed him by paused to question him – he was Oswald Cobblepot's son, brother to Doctor River Mooney, owner of this facility. But he had been spotted on a monitor, and a nurse had mentioned to Doctor Mooney on her arrival that her brother was on the lower floor. Now River was on her way down, but Cain didn't know that as he stood back as a nurse swiped the door for him with her ID and it opened up and he thanked her, then she went on her way, assuming Cain had permission to be down here among the dead...

The room was brightly lit, the metal tables were empty and all the bodies were in storage. Cain knew where to go, because this wasn't his first visit. He hit a button beside one of the lower drawers and it slid out. He knelt down on the polished floor in a suit that very much resembled the kind of style his father would have worn in his youth, and he reached for the sheet and turned it back to her shoulders, oblivious to her partly caved in head and the fact that her neck was torn open and bent at an angle as he ran a hand over Ronnie's frozen hair.

“Hi Ronnie,” he said, smiling through tears that stung his eyes, “I just wanted to come and see you and talk... I miss you so much. But it's not long now...” he took hold of her cold hand, then briefly paused to bend and kiss it before looking at her face one more, a face he loved so much that the ravages of her injuries were almost invisible to him as he spoke again.

“You'll be back with us soon. River just has to figure out what to do -”

“ _Cain.”_

On hearing his sister's voice, he paused to lean over the corpse and kiss the undamaged side of her face, then he got up from the floor and turned towards her. River stood there in a dark blue pinstripe suit, she was wearing her monocle too, and regarding him with a look of disapproval.

“Why are you here, again?” she demanded.

“I came to see Ronnie. I miss her.”

“I'm aware of that.”

“I wanted to talk to her, spend some time with her!”

River gave a sigh and hit the button on the wall, sending the drawer sliding back into place once more.

“She's _dead_ , Cain! And even though you think I can come up with some kind of miracle, you need to accept the most likely outcome from this will be, that you are only delaying her funeral! I have made no progress in finding a way to heal her very severe and complex injuries enough to revive her _and_ give her quality of life.”

Cain didn't flinch on hearing those words. There had been a time when such a statement would have left him sobbing, but now, he was weary of hearing it over and over...

“ _So try harder, sis.”_

“If I can find a way to bring her back, I will. Until then nothing changes, Cain. Please believe me when I say I want this as much as you do – but not at any cost. Her quality of life matters, _if_ it can be achieved, that must be first priority.”

Her brother paused for a moment, looking back at the closed drawer that kept her body cold as he wished he could carry her out of this place and warm her up and sleep beside her to wake and find her death had been no more than a nightmare. Leaving her here was hard.

“ _River,”_ he said as determination burned in his eyes as in that moment he looked even more like a young Oswald yet to take on the likes of Fish Mooney and build his empire, _“I'm begging you! I love her! Bring her back to me!”_

“Cain, I'm trying. If anything changes, if I even think there's a possibility that I may have found a way, you will be the first to know. Until then,” she paused, looking pleadingly at her brother, “ _Please_ don't keep coming down here! It's a morgue, there are no visiting hours!”

He blinked away tears.

“Do you want to come up to my office and talk about it?” River offered.

“No,” Cain replied as he shook his head, “ I don't want to talk, River. I want Ronnie back, I want her back soon. This is killing me!”

Before she could say another word, Cain walked out of the morgue, leaving her standing there alone in silence as she thought about the possibility that soon, she might have help with this project. But it was too soon to tell Cain that, because that help was offered from a person whose circumstances were rather complicated, and she still didn't know how her Dad would react when he found out she had used her connection to the Cobblepot name to support a request for residency and underworld shelter for a scientist who was also a wanted man – but that man could well prove to be the answer to the problem of reviving Ronnie, at least, she hoped he was – and she also hoped that her Dad would understand when he learned the fugitive also had a family link to Julian... It would certainly take some explaining...

Oswald walked the floor holding baby Gertie in his arms, smiling as she smiled up at him.

“You look so much like our sweet Julian,”he said fondly as he cradled his daughter, as Molly stood by the window looking on. Oswald had just placed his daughter in her baby rocker when his phone rang.

“If this is about our sons antics again...” he said as tension filled his voice, and Molly felt her heart sink to see the stress creep back into his expression as he snatched up the call.

Gertie cooed and gave a squeal of delight as she kicked her legs and reached for the small toys that hung over the rocker. Molly went over to join her and sat on the floor beside her, talking softly.

“Not long till Daddy gets back from his meeting,” she said.

Then Oswald spoke sharply as he stood there listening to the caller.

“ _What?”_ he demanded, _“How the hell did you get this number?”_

“Is something wrong, Ozzie?” asked Molly

“No I'll take this outside, you take care of Gertie,” he said, and then he limped out of the room, still on his cell phone.

Oswald was in no mood for a conversations with strangers after placating a very angry gang leader over Cain's latest outburst. But this call was nothing to do with Cain...

“Make it brief, but first tell me how you got my damned number!” Oswald snapped as he went down the hallway and back into his study, suddenly craving something stronger than tea if this was more trouble looming on the horizon. But what the caller said next came as a complete shock.

“Mr Cobblepot,” he said, “I'm requesting a letter of confirmation to state that I am now a resident of the independent nation of Gotham, under the protection of the underworld from outside authorities. I've got a permit to stay for three months but I need real protection, I need that letter from yourself to confirm my protection status -”

Anger flashed in Oswald's eyes.

“I asked you how you got my number!” he fumed.

The caller paused.

“Your daughter River, of course!”

Oswald blinked. His eyes went wide. _Since when had River ever got involved in fugitive cases?_

“River used her Cobblepot name to grant you temporary residence?”

“Yes, Mr Cobblepot, that is correct. I'll also add that I have a family member in Gotham – your husband Julian. But he's never met me and Shepard probably never told him that he had an uncle. I split from the Lambrick name many years ago, when I first decided to study medicine. I changed my name too. I've devoted my life to scientific research into the reanimation of the dead and often with disastrous results but my method is refined now and I have, in the past, worked with Hugo Strange – it was a long time ago, and he probably won't want to confirm that but -”

“You're Shepard Lambrick's brother?” Oswald said in a hushed voice.

“ _Yes,”_ the caller replied, _“My name is Doctor Herbert West.”_

Oswald fell silent. _Now_ he recalled who West was, news had reached the city from the mainland, over the years there had been a few tales of the scientist who had discovered a way to re animate dead tissue – often with disastrous consequences. He was rumoured to have been responsible for a bloodbath at a prison – were he had been serving a sentence for his part in deaths caused by his revived corpses going on murderous rampages... that had been seventeen years back. After that, West had vanished...

“And where have you been since escaping prison?” Oswald demanded.

“I assumed a new identity and carried on my research – safely, I might add. I've spent years refining my methods and I went into the field of tissue and nerve regeneration, and since leaving jail I've helped to work on new agents that have proven safe. But I was recognised and had to flee the mainland. I also came here because I know what Shepard did, with the Tetch virus – what he did to his adopted son! I realise Julian has never met me, but I can assure you this Lambrick means him no harm. Also, I got in touch with River and she told me about her work and I told her about mine, and I happen to think I can be of use with a case of hers – a girl named Ronnie, her revival is proving difficult?”

Oswald paused again, thinking it over. Maybe West was still a mad scientist, but so was Strange, and he worked to serve the city now. All the same, he did not relish the thought of the likes of West having permanent residency - he had no intention of granting immunity and protection to someone who could be responsible for an uprising of violent undead if his experiments got out of hand...

“I will speak to River and to Hugo Strange,” Oswald said, “As for Julian, I can't guarantee he would want to meet _anyone_ connected in any way to his late adopted father. And your three month permit protects you in the short term from arrest and extradition to the mainland. Thank my daughter for that, _not_ me! But if, in that time, you start _any_ trouble in Gotham, you'll be in the river with a bullet in your head. As for a letter granting you permanent status, I don't even know if that can happen, Doctor West. Your reputation goes before you, and that's the problem. You will be contacted in due course. Do not call this number again!”

“But Mr Cobblepot -”

Oswald ended the call and gave a heavy sigh, then he sat down at his desk and called River to ask why the hell she was associating with the likes of Herbert West.

As Josh stood outside city hall, around the back of the building and far from the small group of protestors who stood against the use of the green space for the regeneration project, Jax stood a short distance away, flanking the other side of the closed door as a car sat waiting for the meeting to end. Around the front of the building, Oswald's men were standing guard and so were a handful of GCPD officers who James Gordon had sent over, purely to show support for the alliance.

As his phone rang Josh answered quickly, knowing he was not supposed to take personal calls on duty. But it was Selina on the line, and that thought made him smile. Julian wouldn't be out of the meeting for another forty minutes, after giving his speech about how this city had enough green spaces and liveable, affordable housing had to take priority for the welfare of those who needed it. Jax was standing there looking smart as ever in his dark suit, wearing a single glove to cover his artificial hand as his prosthetic arm hung at his side. He briefly raised his other arm to push back his sleeve and check the time, then he stood there in silence once more, the heavy set, imposing older man who was Oswald's senior General always took every task very seriously.

But Josh was still smiling as he took the call from his wife.

“Are you standing around looking hot in that suit of yours, Josh?”

His smile got a little wider. Selina had that teasing tone to her voice again...

“Yes I am, Selina.”

“And is Jax with you? Is that why you're trying to sound like such a good boy?”

He chuckled quietly.

“I am on duty, honey.”

“Hmm... Standing there like you've got a big cock. Pretending, when we both know my big plastic dildo is WAY bigger than your _tiny_ little penis and right now you should be at home taking that dildo slick and hard up your ass! _One thrust Selina_ should be my name, one thrust and your ass is mine....”

Josh looked down at the ground as he held the phone to his ear, a smile on his face as his cheeks flushed.

“Oh, stop! I'm on duty!” he was on the verge of giggling now, and she knew it.

“Bet I can make you laugh.”

“No, please don't – Jax is here!” he whispered.

“Even better. Maria's at school and I just put Nathan down for a nap so I'm in the mood for some fun and we both know that meeting doesn't end yet, you've got nothing to do but stand around looking good, mister! So tell me, small cock... should we wait until Ivy gets back on Friday, or should I give that ass of yours a damned good fucking when you get home tonight?”

Josh felt his blush spreading as he chuckled again and kept his voice low.

“I guess I'm spoiled either way, Selina...”

“You can't say much because Jax is there.”

“Damned right!”

“I wonder if Jax likes anal. Ask him, Josh!”

Josh giggled.

Jax slowly turned his head, a puzzled look on his face.

“You're on duty, Josh,” he said, “Social calls are not for working hours.”

“Right.” Josh replied, and turned away, keeping his voice low.

“He heard me laugh, Selina. I have to go.”

Selina giggled hard.

“ _I dare you to ask Jax if he's ever been pegged!”_

“ _Jax?_ Oh my god...”

He couldn't help but double over a little as he laughed, and that laugh went a little louder as his shoulders shook.

“ _Stop, Selina!”_

“ _Nooooo_...I'm having _way_ too much fun teasing small cock while he tries to be serious on duty!”

“ _I'll get in trouble!”_

“Nah, you won't,” Selina said, sounding very sure “Remember, I'm Oswald's daughter. We go over to the house every Sunday for lunch now, you're family as much as Jax is – Oswald won't spank you...But I will! With that wooden spoon I use for cake mix! Slap slap?”

He giggled again.

“ _Selina!”_

Jax Sterling cleared his throat and turned to Josh, giving him a strong glare.

“We are on _duty,_ Josh!”

And the thought ran through his mind to casually reply, _“Sorry, but my wife was just wondering if you've ever been pegged?”_ and the thought of saying that, as he looked at Jax, made him laugh out loud as Jax stared at him.

“What in the world has gotten into you, Josh? We are supposed to be standing guard, be professional!”

“I've got to go, Selina!” Josh said, amusement still clear in his voice. He heard her laugh as he ended the call.

“What was that about?” Jax demanded.

Josh looked at him.

 _No. Don't think about it!_ ran through his mind as he tried and failed to stop, and giggled again.

“I'm sorry, Jax – I was talking to Selina and it was... _funny_...”

“Far be it for me to put a stop to banter between a happily married couple, but you are on duty, Josh. Kindly behave in the appropriate manner.”

Jax had sounded so very serious. Josh bit his lip as he thought about what Selina had said and looked away, trying to be serious once more.

“What was that about?” Jax asked as he glanced at him.

“Not much,” Josh replied, and he was sure that blush was still showing on his face. He smirked as he looked away, determined not to laugh again while they stood there waiting for Julian to end his meeting.

“Why was it funny?” Jax asked him.

Josh slowly turned his head and met his gaze, smiling as he shook his head.

“It just was.”

“Did she tell you a joke?”

“Yes, but I forget what it was about now.”

Josh looked away so Jax didn't see the amusement that danced in his gaze.

And then they both stood there, quietly waiting. The doors opened up sooner than expected as security stood by, then the doors were closed again as Julian left the building and began to walk with Jax and Josh towards the waiting car.

“I trust the meeting went well, Julian?” Jax enquired.

“It did,” Julian replied as he carried a briefcase containing paperwork about the housing project, today the weather had started off wet and dull but now, the rain had cleared up and the sun had come out and Julian's light beige suit was perfect for the weather as they headed towards the car.

_And then all hell broke loose._

A shot rang out as Julian gave a yell and the arm of his jacket tore and stained red as he fell to his knees. Jax flung himself on top of Julian as a second shot was fired, a shot that hit the shoulder connection of Jax Sterling's artificial arm and the blow sent a shock wave through his body. Julian struggled, trying to get up to run for the car but Jax slammed him back to the ground.

“STAY DOWN, SIR!” he yelled, oblivious to the fact that Julian's head had just hit the ground sharply and grazed his brow as Jax held him down, still over him, shielding him from the attacker as training had taught him to do. Jax had his weapon raised as he shielded Julian, his artificial arm was jutting out at the shoulder beneath his suit but his gun was in his good hand as he clutched at it, scanning the ground for signs of movement.

“ _Drop it! Step back and give me that pig! Give me Lambrick!”_

As the shooter yelled those words, Josh had already ran around parked cars, ducking down to see the shooter: She was tall and slender with long, dark hair. She was holding a low powered hand gun in an unsteady grip as she aimed the weapon at Jax and Julian. He raised his radio and quickly made a call:

“ _Back of city hall, lone female assassin, Mayor Lambrick is hit, General Sterling is hit, urgent assistance required!”_

He didn't wait for the reply, there was confusion at the front of the building as the protestors heard shots, and most of the security out there were handling the crowd as a handful of others responded to the call, making a run for the back of the vast building. But there was no time to wait. The shooter took unsteady steps forward, her slender legs shaking in high heels as she glared at Jax.

“Drop the fucking gun! It's him I want, _not_ you!”

Julian raised his head as blood ran down and obscured his vision... He knew that woman! But the pain in his arm and the ache in his head was taking over. Jax placed his weapon on the ground but continued to shield Julian.

“ _You don't deserve this life, Lambrick!”_ the woman said bitterly, _“I know the monster you are!”_

And Josh lunged from between two parked cars, tackling her to the ground as she hit the ground first and his hand went straight for the weapon, twisting her aim away from Julian as he slammed her wrist against the ground sharply and she gave a cry of pain and the weapon slipped from her grip.

Josh whipped out cuffs, pinned her down while he cuffed her and then dragged her to her feet. She was pale and breathing hard and started to tremble as blood ran from her nose. Her eyes rolled up in her head, then she staggered, flipped her hair off her shoulders and stood there disoriented. As two cops and three of Oswald's men came running, Josh held up his hand.

“Section 65 of the Unity Pact is in force – an attempt on the life of a member of the ruling family is underworld business, she's an assassin, she's our problem,” then as the men in GCPD uniform retreated, Josh held the prisoner securely as he spoke again to another of Oswald's men: “Contact Ed Nygma, tell him to order a press gag on this incident. It's a private underworld matter until we say otherwise. And call an ambulance...”

By now, Julian was sitting up against a vehicle, clutching at his torn suit where a bullet had grazed his arm. Blood was running down his face from the cut to his brow when Jax had slammed him to the ground to shield him from more shots. He was shaken up, but the wounds were minor. Jax Sterling's prosthetic arm had a bullet hole just below the shoulder.

“Minor gunshot wound and likely severe bruising,” he added, “Be sure they're both taken to River Mooney's clinic for treatment.”

“Yes, sir,” the man replied.

Josh still had a tight grip on his prisoner. He knew the protocol for such an incident, it was surprising how quick these things came back to him in times of crisis.

“And tell the GCPD the underworld require a cell to interrogate the prisoner,” he added, remembering in the event of such an incident, the pact allowed a dangerous criminal who was specifically a threat to the underworld family, to be taken to the nearest place of incarceration. This had happened at city hall, the nearest place would be the GCPD headquarters. They would place her below ground in one of the isolation cells and then step back while the underworld handled the situation, their only role by law being the loan of the cell...

For a brief few seconds, Josh thought of those quiet moments filled with teasing and laughter from Selina, right before hell had broken loose, and he wished he could be back in that moment. But then an ambulance turned up to take Julian and Jax to the clinic, and as a squad car pulled up too, Josh led the prisoner over to it. This was going to be one hell of a rough day...

Oswald had been furious after ending the call to River. By now Gertie was sleeping in her rocker as Edward the bulldog sat close by, both child and dog used to Oswald's flare ups of anger when something happened, and both able to sleep through the sound of his raised voice.

“River went over my head, Molly! She invited West to this city, granted temporary immunity from outside prosecution and she's even talking about working with the guy! All he's ever achieved on the mainland is chaos, reviving damaged corpses who came back aggressive like zombies-”

“And Hugo Strange didn't have perfect results when he first brought back our dead,” Molly reminded him, “Personality changes, some of them very lethal. Even today, there's huge risk of memory loss and other changes, when a person can be revived. It's always been risky. And you said, this West guy has refined his process and he used to work with Strange -”

“A long time ago!” Oswald fumed, “Clearly, it was no more than an exchange of ideas. There's a world of difference between Doctors West and Strange. But if River thinks he can be useful, I'll allow him to stay for three months. But he won't be getting permission to stay permanently.”

“And he's Julian's uncle,” Molly reminded him.

Oswald stopped pacing the room and turned sharply to her.

“You think this would be good for Julian? To meet a man with West's reputation, to know the adopted father who mistreated him and used him as an experiment with the Tech virus then condemned him to years of torture in an asylum, has a brother who is known as a corpse re animator with a criminal background? What good could that possibly do Julian?”

Molly stepped closer, looking into Oswald's eyes as she wished a kiss could chase away the deep worry she saw in the gaze of her chubby Penguin.

”I realise he's got a past,” she told him, “But he said he cut ties with the Lambrick name when he was a med student! He could have enjoyed the privilege of living an easy life using the family name, but he walked away, Oswald! And as River seems confident he can help with Ronnie, I think we should give him a chance.”

“I don't think Julian will,” Oswald told her, “Remember, Shepard was responsible for his torture, and for the years of suffering that followed as he recovered. The emotional scars will never heal and I love him enough to protect him from more harm!”

“So do I,” Molly reminded him, “But he's got a right to know, Ozzie! He might want to meet him. You can't hide something like this from him, Julian's not a child!”

Then Oswald's phone rang. He snatched it up.

“Yes, Josh?” he said sharply.

His tone soon changed as Josh spelled out the situation that had just occurred as shock registered on his face.

“Is...is he okay? You said it was minor?”

He listened again, then anger burned in his gaze.

“As soon as Jax is finished up having the bruising treated, I want you and him down to those cells. Tell Jax to use full interrogation protocol. Go as far as is needed. I want to know why that bitch did this! And tell Julian I'm on my way!”

Oswald ended the call. His face had paled.

Molly stared at him. She knew that look – something terrible had happened.

“What's wrong?” she asked in a hushed voice.

“An unknown female assassin fired shots as Julian left city hall. He's got a minor wound to his shoulder where a bullet grazed him, Jax shielded him and took a shot but it hit his prosthetic arm. Julian's shaken up but he will be okay. They have the shooter held in the cells at the GCPD under guard by our people. I'm sending Jax and Josh in to interrogate the prisoner, to gain the truth behind this incident through any means.”

Molly was still in shock... _Julian had been shot?_

“ _Any_ means? You're going to have her tortured?”

“Different rules for assassins,” Oswald reminded her, “Most torture is psychological, Jax is well trained. But sometimes it has to be physical too. We need to know who was behind this. She could have killed our Julian! I'm going over to River's clinic, she's treating his wound right now. He's shaken up but okay, it could have been much worse. Stay here for the kids, I'll be bringing Julian home.”

Molly nodded, still in shock at the news, as Oswald grabbed his cane and hurried out of the room, snatching up his car keys as he headed for the door.

Molly lifted Gertie from her rocker and cradled her in her arms as Julian's baby daughter smiled up at her, oblivious to the trouble that had erupted far from the safety of their home.

“Don't worry, sweetheart, Daddy's home soon,” Molly said as she held the baby, silently worrying for Julian, who had been through enough trauma in the past – this was the last thing he needed, but all the same, until she knew the reasons and the circumstances, as much as she loved Julian, she wasn't entirely comfortable with a female prisoner being tortured by Oswald's generals, but that was the difference between the underworld and the GCPD, when it fell to Oswald's people to handle a serious incident, that was when things got dark, but it was just how things were on this side of the ruling divide...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Josh was waiting for Jax to return from the clinic where River was treating his minor cuts and bruises. A bullet had punctured his prosthetic arm and shattered the connection point that anchored it to his shoulder, he had another prosthetic at home but would be turning up here at the GCPD one armed and keen to get on with his job, because he had his orders.

_They both had their orders._

Josh felt mildly sick as he stood in the corridor of the lower level, at the end of the row of cells, the shooter was being held in isolation. Jim Gordon had led him down there and told him where to find her, then said _I really don't like this procedure, but, I'm not underworld. If she had been arrested by the GCPD she would have charged by now and questioned humanely. No, I don't approve – but as I said, I'm not underworld, Josh..._

One look in Jim's eyes had clearly said that he would have done anything in his power to have this handled differently, but Jim wasn't underworld – and sometimes, that was the price he had to pay for an otherwise successful working pact with the criminals who ran the underbelly of this city...

Josh was lost in his thoughts as he waited for Jax to arrive:

_I'm really not happy about this._

_Fuck, I can't do this, I can't torture a woman! Penguin's men are trained to be gentlemen!_

_But not to assassins who target the ruling family._

_That is the law..._

That was the one exception where _anyone_ who broke that rule suffered for it... Josh looked up the corridor and saw Jax walking towards him, he was minus his prosthetic arm and as he reached him, he stopped, and Josh didn't want to ask what was inside the small locked case he was carrying.

“Did you call home and let Carol know you're okay?” he asked.

“I won't be talking to my wife about the events of today,” Jax replied, “When I get home I shall say some shots were fired and the shooter was contained. She will be relieved to know I was unharmed. As for the rest... I won't be discussing _that_. And I suggest you don't talk to Selina about what happens when we go into the cell, Josh. You really don't want to share that with the one you love.”

Josh was breaking into a sweat.

“I'm not sure I can -”

“You took an oath to serve the Penguin and the underworld. You are a General and have your orders. We have to extract the information required, if we fail, we'll never find out who sent her and they will send another assassin and next time maybe kill Molly and Oswald and the kids too – maybe even go after your family, or mine, if they're on a mission to wipe out every member of the ruling family and those connected. Have you thought of it that way?”

Josh shook his head.

“Then start thinking,” Jax said in a hushed voice, “I don't like this part of the job either, but there are set rules for the handling of assassins and we must adhere to them. All I need you to do is keep her still. I may not have to use physical force. Sometimes the psychological fear is enough. But she _must_ talk.”

Josh took in a slow breath and said nothing as he met his gaze. Jax nodded as understanding reflected in his gaze.

“I know this is difficult. But remember your responsibility, Josh.”

“My first responsibility is the safety of the Cobblepot family,” he replied quietly.

“Let's go in,” Jax added, and then he led the way to the end of the corridor and opened up the heavy metal door to the isolation cell where the shooter was held securely.

Oswald had not been able to set his mind at ease until he had seen Julian, who was having stitches to his arm when he arrived. Now he was resting on a bed in a small room on the first floor of the clinic, his shirt was off and his upper arm was bandaged and as River loaded up a syringe, he sat up sharply

“ _No more needles!”_

“Just relax, Julian. You've had a shock,” Oswald said as he caught his arm gently and eased him back against his pillows. Julian was still thinking about the shooting as River cleaned the injection site.

“No, don't put me to sleep! I need to remember something about the girl who shot me... I've seen her before -”

“This will help you sleep for a short while and then you can go home and rest,” River said as the needle bit into his arm.

He grabbed at Oswald's hand, looking up at him urgently.

“ _Don't let them hurt her.... you don't understand, she's -”_

His eyes closed and he sank back, the sedative working fast as Julian slipped into a deep sleep.

Oswald paused to stroke a lock of fair hair from his brow, seeing a bruise coming up where the skin was grazed.

“You checked him for concussion? What about fractures?”

River put the syringe down and turned to Oswald.

“He's fine, Dad!” she assured him, “He's had a shock, he's going to be a little bit rattled for a while because it was a shooting, and because he's Julian – but the bullet grazed his arm and the bump to his head was mild bruising, the cut was tiny, he's going to be okay. He can go home after he's rested.”

Oswald nodded.

“Thank you, River,” he said as he blinked away tears, and the hug from his daughter as she saw his tears was deeply appreciated as Oswald held her tightly.

“When I first got the call, I thought I'd lost him!” he said as he gave a quiet sob.

River stepped back and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“He's fine, Dad. And pretty soon Jax and Josh will get the truth out of the woman who fired the shots. Maybe this isn't an underworld matter – maybe, she was an extremist protesting about building on the green space, or maybe she was against the old buildings being torn down. There's a lot of strong feeling about this from those who don't want change and even though it's for the best, there's always crazies out there who go one step too far.”

He nodded.

“Maybe,” he said, then he sat down at Julian's bedside and took out his phone.

“Dad?”

Oswald glanced at her.

“I'm sorry I didn't tell you before – about Doctor Herbert West. I wasn't expecting him to arrive until the end of the week but he showed up early and I gave him a room here on the top floor, it's temporary until he finds accommodation. I want to work with him on Ronnie's case. I really think he can help. And there is the fact that he's family to Julian...”

“We'll discuss that later, River,” Oswald replied as he took hold of Julian's hand, watching over him as he slept, “Right now, my main concern is my husband. Julian hates hospitals. I'm taking him home as soon as he wakes, he's been through enough trauma for one day.”

“I'll be back to check on him later,” River said, and then she left the room. Oswald kept hold of Julian's hand as he slept, and then he looked to his phone and hit speed dial to call Molly, who he didn't doubt was worried sick about the man they both loved who had almost taken a bullet today.

Josh followed Jax into the cell. The door closed heavily behind them. The woman who had fired the shots was sitting in a chair, at a small table in the middle of the room. Her head was down and the long curtain of her dark hair fell forward, obscuring her face. She was still in her high heels, and her long, slender legs were peppered with bruises from the scuffle at the scene of the shooting. She wore a short, tight skirt and her white top clung to her curves, and it was spotted with blood. She was shaking as she at there, but made no attempt to look up as Josh stood behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

“We just want to talk to you,” he said quietly, “Tell us what you know and get this over with. Don't make it hard on yourself. We can do this the easy way if you work with us.”

She said nothing in reply as Josh felt his stomach churn. Jax was right, maybe someone had hired her to kill Julian, and maybe that same person would hire someone else to do the job, and to kill the rest of the family too – they had to get to the truth. _But not like this._ He wished she had listened, because he had never wanted to be witness to this... As he looked down, he realised her hands were secured to the table, taped down with her palms flat and her fingers spread. Jax took a seat on the other side of the table, moved his chair in a little closer and set the small metal case down on the table and opened it up. Josh looked inside and then looked away as he began to sweat harder. There were tools in that box, a tiny, sharp pair of cutters, tools for pulling teeth, a small drill and more shiny bits of metal than he cared to look at, let alone identify...

Jax got comfortable on his seat and regarded the woman coldly as he ran his fingers through his dark, glossy hair and then spoke up.

“Well, you managed to lodge a bulletin my artificial arm, thankfully it's just bruising but Julian Lambrick – Cobblepot was grazed by a bullet and needed stitches to his arm. You'd better start talking, lady. We're _not_ the GCPD. You're in the custody of the underworld and you will find we do things _very_ differently indeed.”

She slowly raised her head, defiance burning in her dark eyes. She was pretty, too – her features were delicate and her lips painted ruby red. Her eyeliner had run and it was clear she had been crying at some point but now, she was glaring as she looked at Jax. Josh felt her shoulders tense as she spoke, but he kept his hands there, firmly pinning her to her seat.

“You cant do a fucking thing to me!” she said darkly, “You're The Penguin's men. You _have_ to be gentlemen.”

“You're wrong about that,” said Jax, “You see, there are different rules for those who try to assassinate members of the underworld's ruling family. It's a crime on a par with treason. And due to the Gotham city pact of unity, you are solely in the custody of the underworld so normal rules do not apply. You shot me and wrecked my prosthetic arm. You also shot Julian Lambrick, husband to Molly and Oswald Cobblepot, if you had taken a better aim we wouldn't be sitting here having this discussion, you'd be bleeding out on the floor with your knee caps blown off first. Just be thankful Julian's injury was minor, he can still hold his baby daughter when he feeds her tonight.”

Her expression changed to one of confusion.

“He has a baby?”

“He's a step father to Molly and Oswald's children, father to Lucy by Molly and birth father to his youngest daughter by Oswald. Didn't you know this?”

She felt as confused as she looked.

“He... he's a birth father?”

Jax looked at her coldly.

“Why did you shoot him?”

“He's a rapist!” she said bitterly, “I heard about Julian Lambrick living this great life with the Cobblepots here in Gotham, after what his father did to me and others? Julian tried to rape a woman named Iris, it happened that night, I was there -”

Jax paused for thought. He was aware of Julian's past, but clearly, this young woman was not aware of the circumstances involving the Tetch virus. But, he reasoned anyone could have given her that cover story...

“And that gave you reason to come here and shoot him? No, you'll have to do better than play with recycled facts that were made public long ago! Everyone knows Julian had no control over his actions – he was infected with an experimental strain of the Tetch virus by his own father and when it turned him violent and could not be reversed. Shepard sent him off to -”

“ _Ashecliffe Asylum!”_ she yelled as she started to tremble and her eyes went wide with fear, _“I was there too – I thought I'd drowned, I had to hold my breath for four minutes, it was a game and the survivor took the money - but I drowned... next thing I know I'm coughing up water and Bevans is giving me CPR... everything went dark and then I wake up in the asylum! I was shipped there and used for experiments!”_

She was shaking violently as she rattled off her words. Josh kept his hands on her shoulders as he thought about all she had said. He was getting the awful feeling that maybe, she was telling the truth – but Jax didn't believe her.

“It's not a secret that Julian suffered at the asylum, that he was used for experiments and he's had a long, hard journey back to a full recovery.”

“Jax -” Josh said, “Maybe we should check this story out.”

Jax dismissed the remark with a wave of his hand.

“She's lying,” he stated as he looked at her, “By the way, are you ready to give me your name yet?”

“Amy,” she said in a hushed voice, and then the fight and fire came back to her gaze as she glared at him.

Jax spoke again.

“So, lets start again, Amy. I'm running out of patience. Here's what we're going to do. I'm going to ask you again, why you shot Mayor Lambrick. I don't want lies, I want to know who hired you and why. And if you still don't answer, we start again and this time, every time you lie to me, I'm going to cut off one of your fingers. And when you have no fingers left, I shall have to think about what I'd like to cut off next.”

He reached into the open box and took out the cutters, toying with them as the blades caught on the light as fear shone in her eyes.

“ _I told you the truth!”_ she cried as she shook harder, _“I found out Julian was here in Gotham, that he was mayor – that he's running the Lambrick foundation! Shepard's foundation! Do you know what stands for?”_

“The Lambrick Foundation no longer stands for evil,” Josh stated, “Julian used the name to turn something bad into something good. He set it up as a foundation to help victims of sexual violence.”

“ _What?”_ she said tearfully as confusion filled her eyes again.

But Jax had no sympathy for Amy as he sat there with the cutters in his hand.

“I think you've been told to say all this, to use Julian's past and his experience as a victim of the Tetch virus, and a victim of torture in Ashecliffe to hide the truth.”

“ _I'm telling you the fucking truth!”_

“This is your last chance, Amy,” Jax replied politely, “Start talking, tell me who hired you or I start cutting off your fingers.”

Amy shook harder. Droplets of blood hit the table as her nose began to bleed. Her head swam as she swayed in her seat.

“I don't feel so good. I need my meds...”

“Answer my question!”

“Jax...” Josh said, “I think we should check this out. Maybe she's not lying. She was a lousy shot - who would hire someone who can't shoot straight to kill Julian? She's not a hired assassin.”

“I'll believe her when she starts screaming and tells a different tale,” said Jax, and he slipped the cutter in the gap in the tape, as she looked down in horror as he started to slowly close the blades over her finger. The blades started to bite as blood flowed. Jax paused, watching as she gave a shriek and looked at him in horror.

”It doesn't take much pressure to cut through a human finger, Amy. The truth, or I cut it off.”

Julian had woken from his drugged sleep, hearing the shot go off in his mind all over again. He gave a gasp and sat up sharply as beneath the bandage on his upper arm, the wound vaguely throbbed.

“Julian, lie back,” Oswald said, reaching for him.

He grabbed at Oswald's arm and sat up again, looking at him wide eyed.

“ _Where did they take her?”_ Julian demanded.

“Who?”

“The woman who shot me, where is she?”

“Being interrogated by my Generals. Don't worry -”

“No, Ozzie!” Julian gripped his arm harder, “You don't understand – she remembers me from way back. When I was infected with the Tetch virus! She went through the same shit at my fathers house as Iris did, her name is Amy, please help her, _stop_ the interrogation before she gets hurt!”

Oswald stared at him. Julian looked back at him in panic.

“ _Do it, Oswald!”_ he said urgently.

Oswald drew his phone from his pocket and called Josh.

Amy looked down in horror at the blades partly closed round her bleeding finger.

“ _No, no please! I can prove it! I have a scar on the back of my head!”_

She flipped her head forward as her long hair covered her bleeding finger and the cutters that Jax held in position. He glanced up at Josh.

“Is there a scar?”

Amy's hair had parted at the back of her head as she leaned forward, revealing a small but deep scar that looked surgical. It reminded Josh of the time Julian had once ran his fingers through his hair and said, _I have more scars than I can count from my time in that asylum, Josh..._

“She's got a scar. It looks like a scar Julian has too.”

Jax dismissed the remark with a shake of his head.

“Poor Julian is covered in scars, this means nothing!”

Amy flipped her hair back and looked at him with frightened eyes as the sharp blades bit painfully into her finger.

“Please, I fucking _swear_ I'm telling the truth!”

Tears streaked her face.

“I still want to know who hired you!”

“ _NO ONE!”_

He slowly applied a little more pressure as she screamed.

Then Josh heard his phone ring and answered it.

“Oswald here -”

The phone was snatched as Julian spoke urgently.

“ _Stop the interrogation! Section fifty six, I'm calling immunity from prosecution for Amy!”_

“You know her name?”

“ _Just stop it, Josh!”_

“Jax, stop – section fifty six, Julian's orders. He says he knows Amy.”

Jax released the pressure as the blade lifted from a finger that was bleeding heavily and as he drew the blades back, she gave a sob.

“Section fifty six?” Jax said in surprise.

“We have to stand down. Apparently she's under Julian's protection now. No charges, no crime.”

Amy sobbed again, then she slumped forward, shivering hard as blood ran across the table.

“Is she okay?” Julian sounded frantic with worry, “She's a victim, a victim of my father! Do _not_ hurt her, take care of her, please!”

Josh looked to the table. Jax was freeing her from her bonds.

“ _Don't you touch me... you fucking animal!”_ she said between sobs.

“What happened to her?” Julian demanded.

“Jax was interrogating her, she said a lot of things that suggest she was telling the truth – you've just confirmed that. And there's more. She says she was held prisoner at Ashecliffe too. She's in a mess – Jax was about to cut her finger off but he didn't, but that's not what I mean. She looks sick, Julian.”

“Bring her to the clinic right now!”

“Yes sir, will do,” Josh replied, and then the phone was taken back by Oswald.

“It seems there's more to this than we first thought,” he said, “Please assure Amy she has nothing to fear now the truth is out. Tell her Julian is concerned for her safety and wants to ensure she's unhurt.”

“I'll convey that message, sir,” Josh replied, and then he ended the call.

Jax was still freeing Amy as her finger bled heavily. “I'll bring the car around the back,” Josh added, and opened up the cell door and hurried out.

Back at the clinic, Julian was off the bed and grabbing the fresh shirt Oswald had brought in for him because his old one was torn and bloody from the bullet wound. Oswald watched as Julian threw on his shirt.

“You'd better be right about her being no threat - she tried to shoot you, Julian! I fully accept she may not know all the facts, and maybe she believed you were still dangerous – but if she tries to harm you again, I'll kill her myself!”

“She's not dangerous,” Julian said, then he blinked to clear his vision as the sedative made his head light, and he sat down on the edge of the bed to put on his shoes.

“She remembers me as I was, when I was part of the Tetch virus experiment. She went through hell at my father's hands that night! She hasn't seen me since, she doesn't know my story - and we don't know hers. She deserves a chance.”

Julian got up again and turned to Oswald with a pleading look in his eyes and his shirt halfway buttoned. Oswald drew him close and held him tightly, thankful he was unharmed but desperately worried that Julian had just been his sweet, kind self by giving Amy a second chance – something that could prove to be a bad decision, considering she had shot him...

“I will kill her if she tries to harm you again.”

“She won't, she just needs to hear my story, to see I've changed!”

Oswald lovingly finished buttoning Julian's shirt for him before speaking again.

“I hope you're right,” he said, “Because you've never called protection on anyone before and if you're wrong, she's dead. I won't allow any harm to come to you, not ever.”

“I'm not wrong about her,” Julian promised him, “She's just got me all wrong, and she needs to know the truth.”

Molly had felt a huge sense of relief to know Julian was resting and would soon be coming home. Ozzie had sounded emotional on the phone, as if he was about to break down and cry all over again as he said, _Julian is just fine. When he had called her back a short while later and told her the rest, she was shocked._ Even though the bullet had caught him, Molly knew he would be okay – it had grazed him, enough harm there to rip some flesh and require stitches, it was a bullet, for fucks sake! But it hadn't gone into his arm. It hadn't ripped through muscle and shattered bone. Julian was okay, he would get over this, even if it was another emotional scar that would probably never fade away. He had been through too much in life to simply bounce back from adversity now, and on top of this, he knew the person who had shot him?

By now Molly had picked the kids up from school. Luna was in her bedroom doing homework, Lucy and Felix were out in the garden with Edward, and Gertie was upstairs in the nursery. She had spoken to the kids about Julian's injury, saying he had an accident, he fell over and hurt his arm, but he would be okay. That was all those kids needed to know – the truth would be worrying for Luna and frightening for the younger children. She guessed she would probably tell Cain the same story, she didn't want to give him an excuse to fire up his anger again and this time, go after Amy to start a fight. Clearly Julian believed that Amy didn't know how much he had changed since the night they had first met, and had believed him to still be a dangerous man. She was sure that would change when the two of them could sit and talk – with armed protection present, just to be sure it didn't turn nasty...

When she heard a knock at the door she got up quickly and hurried down the hallway to answer it. Cain had thankfully called her earlier to say he was staying at the apartment he used to share with Ronnie – at least she knew where he was. Maybe staying there would bring him comfort. She wanted something to heal his grief before it drove him completely mad. Guessing he was back and had maybe forgotten his keys, she opened up the front door.

_It wasn't Cain._

The man who stood there wore a dark suit and tie, his hair was neatly cut and he wore glasses. She had never seen him before but there was something about his face that reminded her of... Shepard Lambrick?

“Who are you?” she said, as she wondered how this stranger had got past the security on the gate.

“Mrs Cobblepot?” he asked politely, and she nodded.

“I'm Doctor Herbert West,” he added, “I spoke to your husband on the phone this morning... I don't think he was aware River helped me out, finding a place to stay here in Gotham and providing a three month immunity from extradition.”

“He wasn't aware until you called,” Molly replied, as she looked at Herbert, she found it hard to believe this quiet, polite man was responsible for the mayhem caused on the mainland, with many accounts of the disastrous results of his research, with corpses and body parts coming to life... _body parts?_ Clearly, he had dedicated his life to his work, much like Hugo Strange, whose monsters had caused their fair share of chaos in Gotham in the old days - but Strange's work had never been so macabre as this. And he was Julian's only living relative, she reminded herself of that fact, Herbert was Shepard's brother, an uncle he had never met...

_And if he was dangerous, she could handle herself._

_Not that she thought he might be, he was here to help with Ronnie's case._

_River seemed to trust him..._

That was good enough for Molly, she let him in.

“Why did you call here?” she asked, “If you want to speak to Oswald, it really is wise to wait – he was very shocked that River went over his head on this. And if you want permission to make this city your permanent residence, pissing off my Ozzie is _not_ a good way to go about it.”

Herbert looked at Molly for a moment, then worry reflected in his eyes.

“If he's already said no I need to find a way to persuade him. I have nowhere else to go, Mrs Cobblepot.”

“He could still change his mind, and you do want to help out with Ronnie's case. That could go in your favour. And you want to get to know Julian?”

He nodded.

“Come through to the kitchen,” Molly said, and she led him down the hallway.

As they entered the kitchen, Molly invited him to sit at the table and she put the kettle on and then turned back to him. Herbert sat there at the table regarding her thoughtfully, saying nothing as he waited for her to speak first.

“You really should go before Ozzie gets back,” she reminded him, “He's going to be another hour, Julian's at the clinic -”

“What happened to him?”

She saw a flash of genuine concern in Herbert's eyes.

“There was... an accident today. Julian's arm was grazed by a bullet – and that's all you need to know! But he's fine, just a little shaken up. You won't be reading about it in the press.”

“And if I breathe a word of it, I won't stand a chance of gaining permanent residency here,” Herbert guessed.

“Right, you catch on fast!” Molly replied.

She finished making the tea, set it down on the table and looked across at Herbert.

“So you had no contact with Shepard after you left?”

“None,” he confirmed, “Our lives went in different directions. I heard about him, his sadistic games with desperate people, the Lambrick Foundation and his ambitions to develop a second Tetch virus... I wasn't shocked when I heard about the Ashecliffe asylum scandal. Shepard was a man who enjoyed being superior and he lived for power and wealth. I on the other hand, have devoted my life to science and my theories that led to the creation of my Re Agent, a substance capable of restoring life to any living tissue, bodies or parts.”

He had sounded proud of this. Molly recalled the stories she had heard and hoped he didn't see her shiver.

“And what's your plans for your work now, Herbert?”

He smiled.

“I was talking about that today, to Mr Bruce Wayne -”

“ _You saw Bruce?”_

That was a surprise. She hadn't imagined a man like West would be welcome in Bruce Wayne's company. Herbert explained at once.

“As I said before, I refined my Re Agent long ago – used alone, the results are only partially successful and far from desirable. But combined with agents created by Professor Strange and Doctor River Mooney, the results are very different. Bruce has advised me to get the Re Agent patented as my invention as soon as I have permanent residency in Gotham, then we can talk about using it in combination with safe agents to further medical research and maybe one day, ultimately find an antidote to death. Strange has been bringing people back for years, and like myself, often with less than positive results. But that can change. For the past ten years I was working with Gotham developed advanced drugs to treat patients at a private practise. I specialised in nerve and tissue recovery. I didn't once go back to my own research, I needed time to fully understand the nature of the agents developed here in Gotham City. I really do believe I could make some breakthroughs in several fields, alongside River, and she's very keen to work with me on Ronnie's case. I haven't seen the body yet, she said I could check out the files tonight. I'm currently staying at the clinic until I find more suitable accommodation.”

The more she spoke with him, the less she saw him as the mad scientist who had caused blood drenched chaos on the mainland, it was more like, he was now a dedicated but perhaps slightly misguided man whose work had led him down into a rabbit hole of obsession. But wasn't that an accurate description of Hugo Strange as he was today? And he worked for the city now, he had been responsible for finding cures and treatments for many diseases over the years...

Herbert sipped his tea and set it down. Molly smiled as she looked at him.

“I believe you're nothing like Shepard,” she assured him, “But I can't promise Julian will want to meet you. Shepard did some terrible things to him.”

“Yes, I know,” Herbert replied, “River told me everything. The Tetch experiment, then sending him to the asylum, five years of experiments that almost killed him... She mentioned I might get a chance to look at his medical records, I thought it would make for fascinating reading especially as she also said he was revived from death in the first phase of his recovery.”

Molly had been sipping her tea. She set it down sharply.

“I get that you're a man dedicated to your research, but please remember Julian is very sensitive. Don't ever refer to what he's been though as _fascinating_. And _don't_ touch any of Julian's medical records without his permission!”

“River said Julian gave his permission for his files to be referenced at any time if it could be of benefit to other patients with similar conditions, or for research purposes,” Herbert replied.

Molly had been about to lose her temper, but now she simmered down.

“I see. I didn't know that.”

She quickly changed the subject.

“So, are you married, do you have a family, Herbert?”

“No,” he replied and then he drank his tea again.

Molly thought she detected a hint of loneliness in that reply. Of course he was alone, a controversial scientist who had dedicated his life to his work, complicated by part of that life being spent on the run...

“I can't promise Julian will want to know you,” she said honesty, “You're the brother of the man who adopted him and gave him a life of misery and I can see you're nothing like Shepard, but Julian may not share that opinion. And you really should go now, before Ozzie gets back. Keep a distance from him until he sees a result on Ronnie's case, that's my advice.”

Herbert rose from his seat. Molly got up too and he smiled warmly.

“Thank you for the advice... May I call you Molly?”

She smiled too.

“I see no reason why not, Herbert!”

Just then, Luna entered the kitchen. She stared at the stranger in her house and then looked to her mother.

“Mom, I just thought you should handle this... before Felix finds him floating!”

She carefully carried a gold fish bowl over to the table and set it down. Tangerine, her sons goldfish was floating dead on the surface.

“Oh dear... I'll handle this, Luna. You know how much Felix loves his fish.”

“Who are you?” she asked, looking to Herbert.

“He's a friend, and he's about to leave, we were talking business,” Molly replied, giving her a look that Luna understood well: Business meant, _leave us to it, please._

“Want me to tell Felix about his fish?”

“No, love. I'll do that,” Molly replied, and then Luna left the room.

Molly looked down at the fish bowl.

“He's going to be so upset... he's out in the garden with his sister and the dog, he's happy for now - but he always cries when he loses a fish.”

Herbert drew a small bottle of glowing green liquid from his pocket.

“This is a sample of my Re Agent, I took it to Wayne Enterprises this morning to show Bruce. I could fix your fish for you... does your son put his fingers in the water?”

Molly shook her head.

“No, he just puts the food in and watches him swim.”

“Good!” Herbert said, “I wouldn't advise him to touch the fish once I've brought it back.”

Molly laughed.

“Its only a gold fish!”

“Yes but it could be a little aggressive.”

“I doubt it,” Molly replied, “Its just a fish!” and then she watched as he took the lid off the bottle and scooped the fish from the water and held it on his open palm.

“You can bring it back with that stuff?”

Now she was fascinated.

“I'm going to use a very small amount,” Herbert replied, and he cautiously tipped the bottle as a single drop of neon green hit the gills of the dead fish.

 _It started to flap in his hand._ Molly gave a gasp as he quickly dropped it back into the water and the fish began to swim back and forth, then around the bowl, its eyes had turned milky white but clearly, it was alive again...

Herbert capped the bottle, then asked if he could wash his hands. Molly watched as the fish swam around, it seemed so much more _lively_ this time around, even if its eyes looked a little odd...

“Thanks for that,” she said, turning to Herbert as he headed for the door.

“I'll be in touch,” he replied, “Maybe you could put in a good word for me with Julian?”

“I'll certainly try,” Molly told him, then she walked him to the front door as in the kitchen, the goldfish swam around the fishbowl with dead white eyes staring as it opened its mouth and small, sharp teeth began to grow...

Josh had brought the car around to the back of the GCPD building, up close to the doorway so they could make a quick exit. On the way into the building he was stopped by Jim Gordon, who asked him what was going on, and he was relieved to explain this underworld matter would now be resolved peacefully and there was no cause for concern.

While Josh was held up talking, Jax had finished freeing Amy from her bonds. She stood up and swayed as the room span around, and as she stepped away from the table, she slumped forward as Jax caught her quickly. Amy snapped her head back, coming back to consciousness as her eyes narrowed and she glared at the man who had almost cut off her finger.

“ _Get your hands off me, you sick bastard!”_

“You are no longer a prisoner. I am trying to _help_ you!”

“By almost cutting off my finger? I'm going to get you for this!” she hissed.

Then she staggered free of his grip and swayed again, fighting to stay conscious. Jax had realised there was something very wrong with Amy that was nothing to do with a bleeding finger.

“Amy-”

“ _Fuck off!”_ she gasped, and then she fell sideways, Jax grabbed at her, saved her from falling and heard a rip as her top tore open. The jolt brought her back to alertness again and she blinked, looked down at Jax and her ripped top and as she heard footsteps approaching, vengeance shone in her gaze as she grabbed his hand and shoved it on to her breast.

“ _Fuck off! Don't fucking touch me like that!”_ she yelled.

Josh entered the room and stared at the sight of a rather flustered Jax holding on to Amy, who looked halfway to passing out. And Jax was... _touching_ her through her torn clothing?

“ _This bastard groped me!”_ she yelled.

“I did no such thing!” Jax protested “I would never -”

“Get me out of here!” Amy gasped, as her eyes rolled and she staggered away from Jax. Then she slumped to the floor as her body jerked and shivered.

“I never touched her!” Jax protested again.

Josh didn't know what to think about what he had seen. But Amy was on the floor now having a seizure, and that was first priority.

“Don't touch her.”

“I want to help -”

“No,” Josh said, stepping forward and looking down at Amy, who had stopped shaking now. She gave a groan and turned her head.

“Amy?” Josh said.

“Help me...” she murmured.

Josh took off his jacket and covered her, then lifted her into his arms.

“We have to get her to the clinic. You can drive, I'll take care of her.”

As they hurried from the cell and took the corridor that led to the exit, Jax was breaking into a sweat.

“ _I never touched her, Josh!”_

They left the building and Josh carefully laid her on the back seat of the car.

“Josh, did you hear me?”

As Jax said that, Josh got into the car and waited for Jax.

He took the wheel and closed the door, reaching for the keys.

“She said she was going to get me for interrogating her. She fell, her clothing ripped, she made it look like -”

“Just drive,” Josh told him, then as Jax started up the car and they drove off at speed, Josh glanced in the back. Amy was still unconscious. Jax said again he had done nothing wrong. _But I know what I saw,_ Josh thought silently as they headed over to River's clinic.

He didn't think Jax was the kind of guy to behave in such a way, but there were rules regarding misconduct, he knew it and so did Jax, and as much as Josh did not want to give evidence against his close friend, he only knew what he saw...

_And this would have to be reported to Oswald._

_There was no way around it..._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Amy was still unconscious on arrival at the clinic. While River tended to her, Julian anxiously waited with Oswald. By now he was ready to go home, and Oswald wished he would just walk out of the place and get into the damned car, but Julian had refused to leave until he knew Amy was okay.

Until he knew the woman who had _shot_ him was okay.

_Oswald didn't know how to feel about that._

And he didn't need more worries, but clearly, he had them by the bucket load.

As Julian sat in the waiting area, Jax had said, _Mr Penguin, sir... there's been an incident that must be reported._ Oswald had looked sharply at him, hovering somewhere between loss of patience and bewilderment.

“ _What now?”_ he said in a low voice, mindful of the fact that Julian was sitting a short distance away and had been through hell and needed to go home.

“ _Amy alleged that I touched her inappropriately.”_

Oswald stared at him.

“ _Why_ would she say that?”

He felt utter disbelief at the thought that Jax, ever the gentleman, would do such a thing. But Jax was informing him, to be sure he was aware of it, to follow procedure correctly, just as he should.

“Explain?” Oswald said as he stood there leaning hard on his cane and gripping it so tight his knuckles went white as he resisted the urge to let his temper explode. It had been a shit day. This was the _last_ thing he needed to hear about.

Jax stood there for a moment, composing his thoughts.

“After the call came through to release her from questioning, Amy suggested to me that she would take revenge for my use of the cutters on her finger. At the time she was unsteady on her feet and she fell against me, I put my hands out to stop her falling and her blouse ripped in the process. She seemed to lose consciousness for a moment, then she came back to her senses, saw her ripped clothing and placed my hand on her breast as Josh walked in and started shouting that I'd groped her. That is the truth, sir. Please believe me, I would never behave so disrespectfully!”

Jax looked at him pleadingly.

Oswald looked to Josh, who stood beside his close friend feeling uncomfortable:

_This was hard._

_He could only say what he saw._

_Telling Oswald that Jax was a gentleman wouldn't change a thing._

_They both knew him well, surely enough to know he would never behave so disrespectfully, but there was a procedure to follow..._

“Josh?” Oswald looked hard at him, “What did you see?”

Josh thought back and couldn't look Jax in the eye as he kept his gaze on Oswald and spoke the truth.

”I came in to see a struggle, her clothing was torn and she was yelling that he had groped her...”

“And where was Mr Sterling's hand at the time?”

“On her bra... but only until he pulled away, she was pulling him towards her but she was staggering too... then I stepped in and that's when she collapsed.”

Oswald slowly nodded.

He looked to Jax.

“Until this is investigated further you are relieved of duty with immediate effect. You know the rules, Mr Sterling.”

“Sir, I did _not_ touch her!” Jax protested, “She has a grudge! I was only doing my job, maybe I did it too well – she was terrified and her finger was badly cut and I was about to chop it off when the call came through. I believe maybe she was traumatised, as well as angry with me – you know I would never behave in such a vile way, I would never disrespect anyone like _that_ , Oswald!”

“There is a procedure to follow,” Oswald reminded him, “You will hand your weapon to Josh and go home and not return to duty until this matter is resolved - and you will have no contact with Amy.”

Jax nodded.

“Yes, sir. I know the rules regarding allegations of misconduct.”

Jax took his gun from its holster and handed it to Josh.

“Want me to drive you home?” Josh offered.

Oswald glared at him.

“You will have no contact with Mr Sterling, Josh, you are a witness!” he looked to Jax, “Josh is driving the company car. You will get a taxi home, and make no contact with me or anyone else in my employment until this matter is resolved!”

“Yes, sir,”Jax said again, and then he glanced at Josh, wanting to say so much but knowing he could not, before walking away towards the exit.

Josh stood there looking at Oswald.

“Sir... I need to talk to you about the incident, I really don't think Jax would have -”

“ _Enough!”_ Oswald leaned in, glaring at him icily, “My husband was shot today. He's since demanded the person who almost killed him to be forgiven, and he wants to help her. That is enough to handle for one day with out these allegations against my oldest, most senior member of staff! I do not know a thing about Amy, but obviously I've had enough already! You will go home and write a report on your take on the incident and I want it on my desk by this evening. And do _not_ discuss the matter with Selina – she's not just your wife, she's my daughter and sharing these facts with family could complicate matters. Do not share with Ivy Pepper, either. This has to stay confidential! It can't be dealt with properly until Amy is well enough to give her account.”

“And if she's lying, what happens then?” Josh asked.

“I have to weigh up the facts to make a decision,” he replied, “Certainly, if this was done out of malice I will most likely turn her over to the GCPD and let them deal with her on charges of false allegation against a senior underworld officer. That way she gets jail instead of a bullet, which is enough considering she's already been though a rough interrogation. I can still be a gentleman even in the face of malicious lies. But it depends on the facts and what they are. If she's telling the truth, Jax Sterling's career is over, the family link and the years of service will _not_ sway my decision if he's found guilty of sexual misconduct. I want that report on my desk today. You can go now, Josh.”

Josh felt relieved Oswald had said that. He said _yes sir,_ and then walked away, hoping Jax was still outside but when he left the clinic, he saw him leaving in a taxi, so walked around the back of the building and headed back to the car. He had to stop by the office and write that incident report, then leave it at the house before he went home because Oswald was right – he couldn't tell Selina about this. She was closer to Oswald now, she called him Dad. She would want to speak to Amy and Jax, she would get involved – and that wasn't permitted, there were rules that had to be obeyed under these circumstances...

As Jax Sterling arrived home, the sound of the front door closing brought Carol out to the hallway. She smiled as she saw him standing there taking off his jacket, then she caught the look on his face and her smile vanished.

“Jax,” she said, “What's wrong, and where's your prosthetic arm?”

“The arm was damaged by a bullet. But that's not all. Something else happened today...” he paused, shaking his head as he thought about the mess he was in, “I'm not supposed to tell anyone about it until the investigation is over but I will tell you, because you need to know _exactly_ what happened...” He gave a heavy sigh, ran his fingers through his hair and then looked up the hallway.

“Where's Alicia?”

“She's over at Josh and Selina's house, with Maria. I'm not picking her up until seven.”

“Good,” he said quietly, and then he looked into her eyes as worry reflected in his gaze, “I never want her to hear this...”

“Come through to the front room and sit down, Jax,” Carol told him, “You look worn out!”

“I feel it!” he exclaimed as they went through to the front room, and as the clock chimed the hour and he looked about the front room filled with so many memories of his father, then of April, and his daughter's birth, and then the happy times he had spent here with Carol, he felt overwhelmed. He sat down heavily and as she sat beside him on the sofa, then Jax took a deep breath before speaking.

“A young woman opened fire on Julian as he left city hall -”

“Oh no, is he hurt, is Josh hurt?”

Carol's anxiety was growing by the second. Jax briefly held up a hand, pleading for quiet as he forced himself to spell out the rest.

“Julian was clipped by a bullet but he's okay. I covered him and Josh apprehended the shooter. We took her to the cells at the GCPD and we followed procedure for extracting information from an assassin...” he paused, then he reached for her hand, his dark eyes meeting her gaze as his voice dropped.

”You know I'm a high ranking underworld man. There is an ugly side to my job and it gets no uglier than taking information from a young woman by force. I am trained to extract the truth from those who pose a threat to the ruling family. Sometimes the torture is psychological. Sometimes threats are enough. But she claimed no one hired her, she said she remembered Julian from years back when he was under the influence of the Tetch virus. She believed he was still dangerous and so she tried to kill him, that was her story - and I did not believe her and I was in the process of cutting off her finger when the call came through from Julian demanding that I spare her. She was telling the truth.”

Carol gave his hand a squeeze.

“Oh Jax, it's not your fault you didn't see that! She could have been lying, it's no secret that Julian was used in Tetch virus experiments, he's been very open about what it turned him into and what he went through at the asylum.”

Jax shook his head.

“No Carol, it's so much more than me not seeing the truth – I was told to stand down, I freed her and she was almost passing out, then she said she was going to make me pay for hurting her. Next thing I know she's fallen against me and I grab her to save her from hitting the ground and her blouse rips. She comes back to her senses, grabs my hand, puts it on her breast as Josh walks in and then starts yelling that I've molested her!” he blinked away tears as he looked at his wife, _“I didn't do it, Carol! You must believe me!”_

It came as a shock to see tears in his eyes as he looked at her. Jax was truly devastated by the allegation made against him.

“I do believe you, I do!” she told him firmly as she put her arms around him and he held her tightly, pressing his face to her shoulder as he fought back tears.

Back at the clinic Julian was still in the waiting area, fighting drowsiness thanks to the shot River gave him earlier as he sat in a comfortable seat and closed his eyes, then opened them again and blinked, determined to stay awake and wait for news on Amy. Oswald had sat with him for a while, but then his stiff leg had started to ache and he had got up and walked a short distance down the corridor. As River walked up to join him, neither saw Doctor Herbert West rounding the corner. He stopped abruptly, saw Oswald and stepped back, then peered out from the turn in the corridor as he watched them speaking together intently. Clearly this was not a good time, and Molly had advised him to keep away from Oswald until he had a chance to work with River on reviving Ronnie Collins... He ducked back out of sight, then headed for the elevator.

River was still talking to Oswald. And he was listening, taking in everything she said with a degree of shock:

“Amy is a victim of experiments at Ashecliffe, just like Julian was. The difference is, she has a single scar at the back of her head. And her brain scan shows they did succeed in infecting her with Tetch Two and destroying it – but it caused lasting damage and that damage has been slowly progressive. She's got a trace of anti seizure medication in her blood but I'm guessing she's been getting that on the black market to try and control the symptoms, and it's not enough. The damage is slowly spreading and when it hits her brain stem it will kill her. She didn't know Julian had changed since she last saw him. That's why she tried to kill him, she's dying, she has nothing to lose.”

Oswald looked at his daughter in surprise.

“She's been through the same ordeal as Julian?”

“Absolutely,” River confirmed, “I've got her sedated and on stronger meds, she won't be able to answer any questions tonight. I also ran through a few files from the asylum and it seems Amy was taken off the island along with other prisoners after you organised the raid to free Julian. Amy was taken to the mainland, and then she managed to slip away, I guess all she could think to do was run. But it's on record that she stabbed a security guard - not fatally - to get away from the hospital. I'm not saying she's violent, she may have felt there was no other way after what she'd been through. She certainly feels no one can help her, that's why she's been treating the seizures herself. Take Julian home, talk to him about Amy. Maybe he knows a little more than we do about her past.”

Oswald thought about her allegation against Jax, then weighed up all River had revealed.

“I'll do that River,” he said, “Thank you for your help.”

River smiled fondly.

“Just take Julian home, Dad. And remember it's been a stressful day for you too. You _both_ need to get some rest.”

Oswald limped over to the seating area. Julian blinked away sleep and got up.

“I want to see Amy.”

“Not tonight,” Oswald told him, “She's sedated. River will let us know when we can see her,” he put a protective arm around him, “Let's go home.”

Jax had gone upstairs to rest with a generous measure of scotch over ice. Carol had left him to rest and taken the drive over to Josh and Selina's house. Selina had opened up the door with her baby son in her arms and a smile on her face as in the background, Maria ran laughing across the hallway chasing after Little Penguin as Alicia followed. Carol entered the house as Selina remarked how lively the kids had been all afternoon. Carol remembered Jax had told her the investigation had to be kept confidential, and if Josh was going to share his worries with his wife, clearly he had not done so yet - Selina was happy as ever, maybe he would tell her later on, when the kids were asleep.

“You go through and collect Alicia, I've got to put this little one to bed,” Selina said, then she carried baby Nathan up the stairs as Carol walked into a living room where cushions were scattered on the floor and going by the discarded plates and crumbs , the kids had been enjoying plenty to eat – most of all Little Penguin, she could tell by the sheer amount of mess on the carpet from sandwich crusts discarded there.

“Alicia,” Carol said, “Time to get your coat, dear.”

“Okay Carol!” She replied brightly, and then she hugged her friends and said goodbye and dashed from the room to grab her coat.

Little Penguin ran up to Carol and looked up at her with a big smile on his face.

“Hello Carol!” he said brightly.

She smiled down at the small round boy with flipper hands who was the image of his father.

“Hello Little Penguin, are you having fun?”

“Oh yes!” he said excitedly, and then his eyes went wide.

“Penguin has a present for Maria!” he announced, and waddled off again, his little shoes tapping fast across the floor as he hurried away.

There was a knock at the door.

As Alicia put on her coat, Carol looked out and saw Iris had arrived to collect Little Penguin. She opened up the door and greeted her with a smile.

In the front room, Little Penguin smiled broadly at Maria.

“Penguin has a gift for Maria,” he said proudly

Maria looked at him with interest.  
”What is it, Penguin?”

Little Penguin opened up his mouth, carefully pushed the tip of one slender flipper into it and poked, then he drew it out and cleared his throat loudly, shook his head and cleared his throat again and coughed into his hand.

“For Maria!”

“What is it?” she asked.

Little Penguin smiled as he dropped the small, sticky white lump into her hand.

She wrinkled her nose.

“Eww!”

“Magic wishing pebble for Maria!” Little Penguin declared.

Iris hurried over looking appalled as she whipped a tissue from her pocket and plucked the stinky, sticky lump from Maria's palm.

“That's my wishing pebble!” she protested.

“No it's not, sweetie,” Iris said, and then she turned to her son and leaned closer, lowering her voice.

“Little Penguin, don't do that! Its _not_ a magic wishing pebble, it's a _tonsil stone_ , don't be so gross!”

“But Penguin give it to Maria!”

“No, we don't give those to friends,” Iris said.

By now Selina was back downstairs. She had just said goodbye to Carol, who had left with Alicia, and as she entered the front room, Iris glanced at the mess Little Penguin had made and then turned to Selina.

“I'm sorry, I can see he's been causing chaos again!”

“It's no trouble, he's adorable!” Selina assured her.

“Where's Josh, is he working late?” Iris asked.

“He's upstairs, he came in two hours ago and went straight up, he looked exhausted. I think it's been a long day,” Selina replied.

Josh had watched from the window as Carol left with Alicia, and he was still standing there as Iris took Little Penguin back to the car and drove away. He crossed the floor and lifted his phone from the night stand, thinking about Jax and wanting to call him but he resisted the urge. The investigation had be carried out properly, he had witnessed the allegation and while he doubted Jax would behave in such a way, he knew this wasn't cleared up yet. If it turned out that Jax was guilty, Josh felt sure his belief that Jax was a decent guy would make him question how much he truly understood anyone, because he was convinced he was innocent, that there had to be another explanation for what he saw – and if he was wrong about that, he would be devastated.

_He still hadn't told Selina what had happened._

_He was trying to keep it from her until it was over, because rules had to be followed, but it wasn't easy, he hated keeping secrets from his wife..._

Julian had arrived home and showed the bandage on his arm to the kids, taking care to go along with the story that he had fallen. Now he was on the sofa and resting with his shirt off and his eyes growing heavy as Molly placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and reminded him he needed to go upstairs and get a proper nights rest.

“In a minute, Molly,” he said, and laid back comfortably as Oswald sat close by, and he looked exhausted too.

“So this Amy...” Molly said as she sat beside Oswald, “You knew her from Shepard's dinner party game?”

Julian gave a sigh, sat up and paused to grip at his arm as the wound vaguely throbbed.

“Yes, she was there and so was Iris. Apparently Amy stabbed Iris, it was a kill or be killed situation and Amy wanted to win. Only the winner got to live.”

He paused to blink away tiredness then he ran a hand through his fair hair and looked to Molly and Oswald.

“I know, it sounds terrible – and it was. But try telling that to me jacked up on the Tetch virus. I think I enjoyed it more than Shepard did, that's what it did to me, it turned me into a fucking animal.”

Molly felt an ache in her heart at such a stark reminder of what Julian had been through. He could talk about the past so casually, he had been through so much that all of it was a list of facts he could just reel off without as much as flinching. But then he would get flashbacks, nightmares, it was _never_ wise to bring up the past too deeply...

“Do you know much about Amy?” Oswald asked him.

Julian shook his head.

“All I know is what Shepard told me – she was desperate to win the game because she wanted to hire a hit on her ex husband, who was in jail.”

“Why was he in jail?” Oswald said.

“The story goes, Amy wanted to leave her husband and take their young daughter with her. He was crazy, and that night he went totally insane. Drowned the daughter in the bath after attacking Amy. But the neighbours heard it all and called the cops and they came in and stopped him killing Amy, but the little girl was dead.” he paused to shake his head, “It's a horrible story. But Amy wanted the money to kill her ex to get real justice for her daughter. I can't blame her for that. But she didn't win the game, Iris did.”

There was a sudden flash of pain in his eyes.

“I don't want to talk about the past any more, Ozzie. Did River say much about Amy's condition? I want to talk to her tomorrow.”

Oswald had already told Molly everything while Julian had been resting. He had avoided the subject on the way home because Julian had slept in the car, but now as he looked at him, Oswald couldn't avoid the answers he needed any longer.

“Amy was held at Ashecliffe and subjected to experiments similar to what you went through. River told me Amy has damage left over from that, and its spreading to the base of her brain. She doesn't have long to live, which explains why she decided to try and kill you, clearly not knowing the circumstances around your actions back then, she wanted to take you out, she felt nothing to lose. But tomorrow morning, I shall go and speak to Amy and explain everything clearly to her, so she understands you are not the bad guy she believed you to be. And _only_ when she understands that will I allow you to see her – I won't risk your safety, Julian!”

He gave a sigh.

“Ozzie, _I_ can make her understand!”

“Please, let me speak with her first,” Oswald said, “I need to clear a few things up before you see her.”

Molly glanced at him. Oswald had told her everything, adding, _Julian doesn't need any more upset. He doesn't need to know what she said about Jax yet, at least not today,_ and she was inclined to agree. Julian had been through a lot, and needed to rest.

“I'll come with you Ozzie,” she said, “We can both speak to her and then maybe Julian can see her later on, once she fully understands the situation.”

Oswald nodded.

“I think that would be the best course of action.”

Julian got up from the sofa.

“I'm going to bed.”

“It's about time! Molly exclaimed, and as they left the room together and Oswald followed, her hand was in his grip as she led the way.

That night they slept well and deeply, Oswald with his arms around Julian as he lay on his side facing Molly, who kept him warm in a gentle embrace. They were both relieved this day was over – and thankful that bullet had caused just a graze, because it could have been so much worse...

In the morning Molly woke to see Julian sleepy and smiling as he said _Ozzie_. She shifted the covers and watched as Oswald's hand closed around Julian's cock and he started to gently caress him. Julian gave a sigh and turned on his back as Oswald claimed his mouth with a soft and passionate kiss. Molly was about to lean in and kiss Julian as her hand slid over Ozzie's hip, but she heard a sound outside the door, then the handle turned and the locked door rattled.

“Kids are up already, I'll go!” she said, and got out of bed and threw on a dressing gown, then she left the room and closed the door softly behind her.

Felix was standing there in his pyjamas, looking worried.

“Mom, I can't find Tangerine.”

“Oh, I left his bowl downstairs because it needs a clean, don't worry,” she said with a smile, “You go and get dressed and I'll start breakfast – but be quiet, everyone else is still asleep! I'll clean his bowl while you're at school today.”

“Thanks Mom,” Felix said, and then he made his way back to his room.

Molly went downstairs and headed for the kitchen. The grandfather clock in the hallway chimed the hour melodically as she passed it, and sunlight was falling in through the stained glass window at the end of the hall. It looked like the perfect start to the morning. And after coffee and breakfast, she and Ozzie would take the kids to school while Julian rested, then they would go over to the clinic and speak to Amy...

Molly entered the kitchen.

She heard a _splash_ and looked to the table, where she saw droplets of water spotting its wooden surface. And Tangerine looked... bigger? And also a lot less.. _. tangerine?_ She walked over to the table, staring at the sight of the formerly dead fish brought back by Herbert West. Yes, it was bigger, and as it looked at her with dead white eyes, it leapt from the bowl with an open mouth of razor sharp teeth and slipped along the table.

“ _What the actual fuck?”_ Molly said aloud, stepping back as she couldn't tear her gaze from the sight before her.

The fish rolled bloated and flapped about, then righted itself and there was a wet crack as its gills opened up and became wings. It slid at speed towards her, flew off the end of the table and zipped up into the air, snapping its teeth as it turned back, ready to dive bomb with its mouth open.

Molly grabbed Oswald's newspaper and rolled it up, taking a swipe at the flying fish as it zoomed in, teeth chattering. She hit it with a whack and the fish flew through the air, hit the ceiling with a thud and then dipped, hovered and flew at her again.

“ _A flying feckin' zombie fish?”_ she exclaimed, and she swung the paper again, hitting it side on. The fish landed in the sink where it flapped loudly.

“ _Aha, gotcha!”_ Molly said.

She rolled the paper tighter and gave the fish a poke as its teeth sunk into the newspaper, then she poked it again, straight into the waste disposal where it was lodged. She hit the button as the motor inside whirred, and there was a sound of bones and guts churning up as for a moment, the fish-thing rattled then guts flew up and out with a _splat_. Molly turned the machine off, looked at the mess in the sink and on the splashback tiles on the wall. Her eyes narrowed as she thought about the neon green goo Herbert had used to bring the goldfish back to life.

“ _West!”_ she said as her eyes narrowed, then she set about cleaning up the mess before hiding the bowl, she would clean that later, then visit the pet shop and try and find a doppelgänger of Tangerine, because to say _Sorry Felix, I had to kill your fish because he was a flying zombie with feckin' teeth,_ just wouldn't sit right with her young son...

A short while later Oswald was up and the mess on the wall from the dead fish was gone. Julian was still in the shower when the kids were having breakfast, and he looked tired when he finally came downstairs to join the rest of the family.

“I need to do half an hour on the treadmill,” he said as he took his seat at the table.

“And then you must rest until we get back,” Oswald reminded him.

“And then I definitely need to have a talk with a certain someone” he added, now fully aware of the Amy situation because Oswald had brought him up to speed before getting up that morning. Julian had been shocked at Amy's allegations.

“Who is taking us to school today?” asked Luna.

“We are, your mother and I,” Oswald said with a smile.

“Yay, Dad's coming with us!” Felix said.

“It's about time I did, I don't do the school run half as often as I'd like to.” Oswald replied, and Molly glanced at him, casting a secret look that said she was glad the kids didn't know what was going on with Amy and Jax. She wondered if Jax had managed to sleep at all the night before, she had known him long enough to consider him an old fashioned gentleman much like her Ozzie – the notion that he would grope someone was absolutely unthinkable.

Molly finished feeding Gertie and Julian smiled as she handed him his daughter. Then Molly got up from the table started to clear away the breakfast plates and told Luna to make sure Lucy and Felix had everything they needed for school.

“Will do, Mom!” she replied as she got up from the table and called to her younger siblings, who left the kitchen as she took the lead.

Soon after, Molly and Oswald had left to take the kids to school and then go on to the clinic to speak to Amy. Julian was left at home, and glad to be there as he rested on the sofa in the front room with Gertie close by in her baby rocker.

Josh arrived at the house soon after Molly and Oswald had left. He rang the bell and Julian answered wearing just his jeans as he blinked away sleep and ran his hand through his hair.

“Josh, you're early. Molly and Oswald are taking the kids to school, and then they have to go and speak to Amy about the incident... I'm hoping to speak to her later on today.”

Josh went inside and Julian closed the door, then led him down the hallway and through to the front room, where Gertie was sleeping in her rocker as close by, Edward the bulldog dozed comfortably on the rug. Julian sat down on the sofa and paused to grip at his bandaged arm.

“It's not too bad,” he said, noticing the look of concern on his face as Josh saw him do that, “I'll need painkillers for a couple of days, after that, I'll be fine.”

He gestured to the armchair and Josh sat down.

“You look like you've got something on your mind, is it Jax?” Julian asked.

Josh gave a heavy sigh.

“Yes, it's Jax. And my statement... I could only write down what I saw, what led up to it, what happened and the aftermath. I can't begin to guess if what I saw when I walked in was Jax's doing, or hers. I get that she hated him, he did scare her and he was about to cut off her finger. Maybe she did want revenge. But I could be wrong! You can't ever say anyone is incapable of doing wrong, even those you trust - I just want to hope that Jax is innocent.”

“Ozzie hasn't looked at your statement yet. The study's been locked since last night. I think he just wanted to get me home and be sure I was okay before he gave thought to anything else.”

“But you are okay?”

Warmth shone in Julian's eyes as he nodded.

“I'm fine,” he assured him.

Josh smiled.

“That's good to know.”

He looked to baby Gertie, sleeping soundly in her rocker, then back at Julian once more.

“I know I asked before, but I'm curious – how bad was it, giving birth?”

Julian got comfortable on the sofa and briefly smiled on hearing that question.

“I'm glad she's here, I'm glad I took the chance and used a birthing unit – but I'd _never_ do it again. I do not recommend male birth when complications like mine get in the way. But most births are easy, they say it's safer to have a baby by implant than to do it the natural way. I was just unlucky because the labour came on too early because I was worried about Ozzie at the time – but most people have a good experience, or so I'm told. Why, are you thinking about having a baby, Josh?”

The thought made him smile, but he shook his head.

“Maybe one day – if the circumstances were right. Me and Selina have two young kids, and I've often thought I'd like to carry the third. Women go through so much have babies and she's done it twice and I'd like to give her a break for the next one. But I think two kids is our limit... unless Ivy ever decides she wants a child. But she raised Penguin Cobblepot, and she often sees him and little Penguin. I think our family is complete.”

“But you'd give it a go if the chance was there?”

Josh smiled.

“Maybe!” he said, giving no more away. It wasn't a subject he had raised with his wife or Ivy, but he often heard about guys who had used fertility units and given birth safely to healthy babies and it did made him wonder what it would be like. And there was room in his spacious house for another crib in the nursery...

“I think you're getting broody!” Julian said, and laughed softly.

Josh smiled and gave a shrug.

“Perhaps I am,” he replied, and then he shelved that thought to the back of his mind as he sat there waiting for Oswald to return:

Yes, maybe he could carry a baby – if another child could be welcomed into the family... but that would have to wait for now, because at this moment, all _General to the Penguin_ duties fell to him, Josh knew it would be a while before the Jax Sterling case was cleared up and he was allowed back to work – assuming Jax was innocent, and that was something even Josh could not be sure of, that matter was for Oswald to resolve...


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

On arriving at the clinic, River met Molly and Oswald and they went to her office, where Oswald sat down and River showed him Amy's test results, and then the files she had managed to dig up from old missing persons records. Everything that had happened at Ashecliffe had been carefully archived, and copies were held here in the city too, thanks to Julian's determination to keep a complete but awful history of the torture and experimentation that went on at the asylum. He had done it partly to ensure his own ordeal was documented and nothing was hidden from the public – and also, he was determined that relatives of those who had died at Ashecliffe had access to the records that proved what happened to their loved ones. It didn't make the nightmares go away, nothing ever would when he was reminded of his ordeal, but it felt like the right thing to do.

While Oswald was talking with River, Molly took a walk down the corridor, heading for Amy's room. River had said she was awake and Molly was trying _not_ lose her temper because the woman had a horrible, tragic past, she had also been through an ordeal much like Julian had in the asylum, and unlike Julian, she was not cured. The damage was still eating away at her and would eventually kill her. So she would resist the urge to yell at her, but she would be telling Amy exactly what she thought of her over what she had done to Jax. Molly knew Jax was innocent... _Jax Sterling, molesting a suspect?_ _That would never happen. Jax wouldn't even flirt with his own wife in public, he was shy, he was reserved and respectful. But until Oswald had finished up with speaking to Amy and reading the account Josh had written, Ozzie couldn't review this case. She just hoped Amy would be willing to give an honest account of what had really happened..._

As Molly turned the corner and walked on she saw a doctor enter Amy's room. She hurried up to the open doorway and looked in. Amy was in bed, on her back and breathing fast, her eyes were closed and she was soaked in sweat. Her skin was a horrible pale colour and she was trembling, it reminded Molly of the kind of sweats Julian used to have soon after he was rescued from the asylum.

“It's okay, Amy,” the doctor said softly, and he adjusted her IV and watched as she started to slow her breathing and then her eyes opened.

“I feel like shit!” she whispered.

”It's the damage to your brain, it's getting worse, like River explained. You're also having trouble regulating your temperature. Would you like to sit up and drink some water?”

“No, I want to get out of here!” she said in a hushed voice as she looked away from him.

“You can't leave, you're too sick,” he reminded her, “But if you rest, you will feel a little better. I'll be back later to check on you.”

Then he turned around and walked out of the room. Molly's eyes widened, then sparked with anger as she recognised the man in the white coat.

“ _Oi!”_

He heard her shout, paused and then started walking again.

“ _Oi, West!”_ Molly said, stepping away from the open doorway, _“I want a word with you!”_

Herbert stopped and turned back, looking uneasy as he approached a very angry Molly Cobblepot.

“Is there a problem, Molly? I do have permission to treat Amy, I'm working on her case with River – I've seen Julian's files and how he was treated to cure the progressive damage. I'm not sure if the same can be done for Amy but all this research all ties in with Ronnie's case too – she has brain cells that need to be replaced and sections of tissue that need repair -”

“ _Shut the fuck up!”_

His eyes widened behind his glasses.

“Excuse me?”

“You turned my son's goldfish into this... this feckin' _thing_ with teeth and bloody wings! I had to kill it!”

His gaze registered surprise.

“Teeth _and_ wings? I only gave it a small drop of Re Agent! Do you still have it? I want to take a look at it!”

Molly glared at him.

“No, I don't bloody well have it, I had to destroy it!”

“It sounds fascinating! You should have brought me the body -”

“It could have bit my son! It could have flown around the house like a feckin' vampire bat! You're _dangerous_ , West!”

“I was just trying to help!”

“Help?” she exclaimed, “How would you have felt at my son's age if someone brought your goldfish back to life and turned it into a mini monster?”

Herbert couldn't help but smile.

“I would have been thrilled!”

Molly stepped closer as she dropped her voice, jabbing an accusing finger close to his face.

“If you step out of line one more time I'm telling Oswald about you fucking with dead goldfish and turning them into little flying zombie sharks! And if you think this is the way to get the papers to say you can stay here forever and have immunity from prosecution, you're very much mistaken! You keep that neon green shit of yours _away_ from dead things, have you got it, West? Because if anything else that shouldn't move, does move, and starts getting up and biting people, or flying, or growing teeth, I'll kick you out of this city myself and you won't be coming back! Have I made myself clear?”

Herbert stood there looking back at Molly as he nodded and then looked down at the floor.

“Yes, Molly. Understood. But I really wish you'd kept that fish -”

“Get _out_ of my sight!” she hissed, and he said no more, turning away and walking quickly up the corridor towards the elevator.

Molly turned back and went into Amy's room.

By now Amy was sitting up resting against pillows, she seemed a little more comfortable but she was weak and the look in her eyes was full of mistrust.

“Sorry I shot one of your husbands, Molly Cobblepot. But I was under the impression he was a rapist. Apparently it was the Tetch virus. I guess that makes him innocent under the Tetch virus clause... he had no control over his actions at the time. I wouldn't have done it if I knew. I heard he was in Ashecliffe but I didn't know he was there at the time they did the experiments.”

She sounded tired, and certainly she was mistrustful as Molly stepped closer to the bed and as Molly spoke again, she looked away.

“Amy, I need to talk to you about Jax.”

She briefly held up her hand, showing off a dressing on her little finger.

“Fucker almost cut my finger off, what else is there to know?”

She shivered, then reached for the glass of water at her bedside and as she drank from it, her hand shook. She still wouldn't look at Molly.

“Amy,” Molly said, “I know what happened in your past – your husband tried to kill you and then murdered your daughter. I'm truly sorry you went through that. And I do understand what it must have been like in the asylum, Julian went through hell when he was held there, and it took him years to recover from it.”

Amy's face was turned away as she put the glass back down, but pain registered in her voice.

“I didn't know Julian had kids.. I didn't know he's got a little baby girl at home... I get that he's changed, I get it was the Tetch experiments that made him violent... I don't know what he's like now, but I also get that I shot a guy who didn't deserve a bullet!”

Amy slowly turned her head, meeting her gaze with the saddest eyes Molly had ever seen, reflecting deep pain that would never heal.

“And I am truly sorry for the loss of your daughter,” Molly said, “I have kids, Amy. I can't imagine what you've been through to lose a child.”

“I don't want to talk about that.”

She still sounded weak, but determined not to cry. Molly changed the subject.

“I realise it was hard, after all you've been through at the asylum, to have that interrogation with someone trained to Jax Sterling's level. But Jax was doing his job, Amy. He lost his first wife April to a seizure. He's since remarried and he's bringing up a young daughter. He's not a monster, he's somebody's husband, he's a dad, too! I realise you might think he is a monster after what he did with the cutters but that was him interrogating someone who tried to kill Julian – mayor of Gotham and husband to Oswald Cobblepot! You tried to shoot one of the most powerful people in this island nation of ours and you can't expect not to get a rough time from an underworld interrogation after a crime of that magnitude! Now I'm asking you to please explain what happened with Jax, about the allegations.”

Amy shook her head.

“You have no idea how well you trained him to hurt people!”

“I am aware, so is Oswald, and so is Julian. Jax is highly trained in many ways, including extracting confessions from assassins. But he stopped as soon as the call came through from Julian!”

Amy's expression changed. She stared at Molly.

“Julian called it off?”

“Of course he did! He's very worried about you Amy! He knows you went through the same ordeal as him, he understands! Julian has asked River to try and find a way to treat your damage, to stop it killing you.”

“No, it's not happening. I'm getting out of here as soon as I'm strong enough to walk!”

Molly gave a sigh.

“Amy, you're going to _die_ if you don't have your condition treated.”

“I know that,” she replied quietly, “And I don't care. No one can help me.”

“Maybe River can. Julian had a very serious issue with his scar tissue a few years ago, and she found a way to cure him. I know your damage is slightly different but I really do think you should trust River.”

Amy gave her a look of disgust.

“Trust _another_ doctor to experiment on me? Get fucked!”

Then she took in a slow breath, fighting off exhaustion as she perspired again.

“I'm _not_ going through any more pain, you can't force me!”

Molly stepped back.

“I'm going to wait outside now and Oswald's going to come in and talk to you about Jax. Please be honest and absolutely clear about what happened.”

Fear flickered in Amy's eyes.

“ _I'm not seeing him! You're not leaving me with mister big crime kingpin so he can do whatever the fuck he wants to me!”_

Molly looked as shocked as she felt as she stared at Amy. Then she remembered Julian telling her about the abuse some of the inmates had suffered at the asylum: _Did she think Oswald was going to come in here and beat her, or worse?_

“My Oswald wouldn't lay a finger on you, he's a gentleman,” she told her, “I swear to you, Ozzie's not like that, you don't have to be scared of him.”

She stiffened as she shook her head.

“No, keep him away from me! He runs the fucking underworld, he employs people like Jax!”

“Did Jax really grope you?”

Amy looked at her angrily as she shivered again and started to sweat.

“I don't give a shit if a torturer loses his job!”

Amy was sitting there grasping at the covers, shaking as fear reflected in her eyes.

_And Molly couldn't get angry with her._

She had never met anyone who had been through as much as Amy had. And she was so damaged by the experiments at the asylum that she would die soon if River couldn't find a way to treat her.

“I'm going to go now and leave you to rest,” she said, “I'll talk to you another time.”

As Molly left the room, River and Oswald were heading towards her.

“I just spoke to Amy,” Molly told him.

“Oh good, I would like to speak to her right now about the allegation she made about Jax!”

“ _Don't.”_

Oswald blinked.

“Why not, Molly? It's what I came here to do!”

“She's too weak, too damaged, she's been through shit, Oswald. Not today, give it a couple of days, wait for the medication to kick in and give her time to recover. It's the first time in years she's stopped having seizures because she's on better meds. She needs to rest and to understand that you're not a threat to her. She's scared of your reputation. More than that, she's terrified of you. I don't know what she thinks you're going to do to her, but she does understand she never should have shot Julian. She knows the whole story now, she knows he's not a bad guy. But she _is_ afraid of you.”

Oswald paused for thought and then nodded.

“Two days, no longer. Then I really need to speak with her about Jax.”

“It's probably for the best, she's been through a lot,” River added, “And she would be afraid of you, because you employ the man who tortured her. It's no secret what some of the staff did to the inmates at Ashecliffe, either. She's probably been assaulted on more than one occasion and as you're the king of the underworld, she's not expecting you to be anything less than a monster, Dad.”

Oswald felt shocked at such a revelation.

“I shall assure her that's not the case when I do speak with her!”

“And now we should leave,” Molly reminded him, “I'll give Jax a call when we get home and explain the situation. And I don't think he touched her, Ozzie. She said she didn't care if a torturer lost his job. She's hurt and angry, that's why she said it.”

“Let's hope she has a change of heart about that by the time I meet her,” Oswald replied, “This has to be resolved. Jax is going through hell and I want to end that for him as swiftly as possible.”

“I know that,” Molly replied, speaking from her heart, “But we're dealing with someone who has been through hell for many years. She just needs time.”

“I'll call you later and let you know if she says anything else about Jax,” River added.

“Thank you,” Oswald said to his daughter, “And please, try and assure her that I'm not a monster!”

“Of course I will, Dad!”

Then Molly and Oswald turned away, heading for the exit as Oswald thought of Jax and his heart felt heavy.

River walked with Molly and Oswald to the exit, then she returned to Amy's room to see Doctor West at her bedside. He paused to check her IV and then he lingered there, watching as she slept off more of her exhaustion. She was breathing easier now, and her temperature was coming down. She looked relaxed as she lay there breathing slowly, her eyes closed, framed by dark lashes as her ebony hair fanned out on the pillow.

“Like Snow White...”

River had joined him as Herbert said those words, looking down at her and watching as she slept.

“But she didn't take a bite of poison apple, Herbert. She was damaged by experiments at Ashecliffe and unless we find a way to stop that damage from spreading, Amy is going to die.”

Herbert kept his voice low as he turned from Amy's bedside.

“I'm aware of that River. I guess she just made me dream for a moment... She is very beautiful. I hope we can help her.”

River gave a small shake of her head as she looked at him.

“After everything I heard about you, the last thing I thought I'd ever have to say is, keep your mind on your work! I never knew you were the romantic type.”

“There's something about her,” he said as they left the room together and River closed the door softly, “She's been through so much sadness and loss and suffering but she's still so vibrant and... yes, I do find her attractive. I also wish I could turn time back and stop the worst of those things from happening to her.”

They began to walk up the corridor.

“But you didn't invent time travel,” River reminded him, “You invented something else entirely – an agent that reanimates dead tissue. Which reminds me, you and I need to take a look at Ronnie's body. We also need to have a discussion now you've seen her files.”

They reached the elevator and the doors slid open. Once inside, River hit the button for the basement level and the doors closed and the elevator began to move downward.

“I think the condition of Ronnie's injuries and the damage caused to Amy have some parallels,” Herbert remarked as the elevator continued to descend, “I know one was a physical injury and the other was caused by experimentation, but both have an issue with damaged cells and the need for cell replacement, both of which is possible. We just need to combine the right agents to kick start the healing process and it's going to be two very different cures in both cases, but I think it can be done.”

The doors opened and they stepped out into a corridor, and River led the way to the morgue. As she accessed the door and then went inside and then accessed the drawer that held Ronnie's body, Herbert was standing there beside her looking around the morgue, his thoughts elsewhere.

“This is our main problem with Ronnie,” she said, folding the sheet back. Ronnie's head was turned, there was a gap between her jawline and her throat with torn and damaged tissue, and broken bone was visible.

“There's a terrible fracture at the back of her head,” River added, and Herbert took a closer look as River moved the corpse.

“We can't revive her like this, and the damage is too great to fill with copy cells,” he said.

River carefully positioned Ronnie as she was before, and then covered her up and closed the drawer once more.

“I could replace the majority of the missing cells with an electronic unit,” she added, “I could fit one into her head, but then there's still the missing pieces that need to be filled in and copy cells won't cling to a non organic structure. Only brain tissue would accept semi organic material mixed with copy cells, and I would need a lot of live tissue to make that happen.”

Herbert paused for thought as he walked over to an empty metal table, then he leaned on it as he looked back at River.

“But she's dead until we revive her, River! You don't need live cells to go into a dead brain. I'd line the semi organic tissue with the dead donor cells and the live copy cells and then add … whatever agents of yours react in the right way with possibly a little of mine to start up the process. But even if that works and we can fix the bone damage, she's got a long way to go with the cosmetic repair for her face and her neck and the skull injury and even when that's all done, the electronic section of brain might not be enough to give her a good quality of life.”

River felt a flicker of annoyance. Yes, West was said to be a mad scientist that liked to play around with dead things and bring them to life for the fun of it, as much as for his research – but when it came to this case, he wasn't thinking like a mad scientist at all. He was thinking like a doctor with a brilliant mind and years of experience behind him, and she was thankful to have that input, but unfortunately, Herbert was also right about the drawbacks with Ronnie. There was a huge risk Ronnie would come out of this with very little of her personality intact and with the cyborg side of her mind taking over.

“If we go for this and it works,” River concluded, “Ronnie may not be able to continue a relationship with Cain. She may not be capable of conveying or even feeling those kind of emotions in the first place – but I'm certain she will be the best damned bodyguard my Dad has ever known. The machine side of her mind will take over for work, and I have no doubt that in a crisis, she would go into an unstoppable mode to protect the family and follow her orders.”

“But we are reviving a person, not building a robot,” Herbert reminded her, “I know little about cyborg tech – that's not my field of expertise. But I do know Ronnie needs to be alive and functioning with no more than five percent of the damaged part of her brain replaced with cyborg material. She needs a cure that's almost entirely organic.”

“And you really think we can do that with dead tissue?” said River.

“It's just a question of finding the right combination of agents to fire up the cells and kick start the process,” he replied, “I can start searching for that tomorrow – I'll need to borrow some lab space. And I'll need a small amount of brain cell samples to work with... surely you can get me some material to work on here at the clinic? How many bodies do you keep in the morgue?”

She gave a sigh as she glanced about the place.

“I can get you some cells to work on while you search for the right formula,” she told him, “But Herbert, when you came to work here, I made you sign something, remember that?”

He looked down at the table, then met River's gaze.

“I do remember that, River. I had to assure you I wouldn't be experimenting in any way with corpses or body parts.”

“The brain cell samples being the exception,” she replied, “You can have access to the lab from tomorrow.”

“Thank you,” he said, and then he thought about Amy, exhausted and looking like Snow White as she rested pale as death, “I'm thinking perhaps a similar solution could apply to Amy's case – if she agrees to an attempt to cure her. Obviously there's a huge element of risk and we are handling a live patient, and it would be inadvisable to put dead cells into her head to heal her wounds. I was thinking maybe some fresh tissue from a live donor, if we can find someone who is willing to take that risk for her.”

River walked over to the table where she stood the other side of it and looked at Herbert intently as she thought on all he had said.

“You're right about that, live tissue – especially injured tissue – would need fresh matter to revive easily, the copy cells would talk to it better to rebuild pathways. But I'm not so sure about slicing into a heathy patient to do that. There could be complications.”

“I'm confident that we could program your keyhole surgical machine to take out nough tissue to fix Amy. There are parts of the human brain that can be removed with no ill effect to the patient. I took a look at your machinery and all you would need to do is use a larger drill and then a wider attachment to cut through the tissue and take it out like a small apple core. But again, we still need to know what combination of agents will work best for Amy. And for the donor it means a tiny scar, but for her, it's a major procedure. We would have to cut her open and take out as much of that affected tissue as possible, without compromising what's left of her own unaffected cells that are just about protecting her brain stem, and then put in donor tissue and add the agents and some copy cells to complete the healing process. If it works, she can make a full recovery.”

“I will work on the agents needed for Amy's treatment, I want you to work on finding the magic potion to fix Ronnie. And we both start on this tomorrow. Thank you, Herbert.”

She held out her hand.

“You're welcome, River,” he replied with a smile as he grasped her hand and shook it warmly, sealing the deal. It was now official – he would be helping her not only with Ronnie's case, but Amy's, too. As they left the morgue together and headed for the elevator, Herbert was still thinking about Amy.

“I've been reading about her past,” he admitted as the got into the elevator and River closed the doors and hit the button for the ground floor, “I've researched her background, about how her child was murdered by her husband. It's been more than ten years, but it's tragic. I don't believe a person can ever truly get over such a loss, poor Amy. Did you know her daughter Lily was four years old when she drowned? Did you know that Amys mother had connection with a cryogenics company and Lily's body is perfectly preserved there?”

River looked at him sharply.

“Yes, I know that. She was placed in the facility after a funeral service. What about it?”

“Nothing, I was just thinking how a cryogenically preserved body would challenge re animation, if a case like that ever came up. I suppose it would depend on the damage to the internal organs -”

“We'd better _not_ be talking about Amy's dead daughter!”

“We're not,” Herbert replied, “I was talking about cryogenic preservation of tissue. I thought the subject might be worth discussion.”

“But it's not relevant to Amy or Ronnie,” River replied.

Herbert looked back at her, saying nothing for a moment.

”You're right,” he agreed, “I just thought you might find it interesting, that's all. When Amy's daughter lost her life, at the time, revival by newly discovered agents that could be flawlessly effective in up to a quarter of all deaths – depending on cause and circumstance – were not available on the mainland. Lily was drowned, so I'm thinking perhaps if the availability of treatments had been different, she might have revived.”

“And you shouldn't say anything about that to Amy,” River reminded him, “It's too late now.”

“Yes, it is,” he said, deciding to take this discussion no further.

“Maybe I can give you the keys to the lab later on today,” River added, keen to put him to work so he had no time to think any more on the subject of cryogenic preservation.

“Thank you, River. I'll be in the morgue, I need to take a closer look at Ronnie's neck injuries.”

“ _Don't_ try any reviving agents until we've repaired all of her damage!”

“Of course not, its too soon!” Herbert agreed.

As he walked off, River stood there watching as he headed for the elevator, deciding she had never worked with anyone as strange as him before – was his every waking thought about his research? She wondered on that question as she headed back to her office, but after having coffee and then calling Victor to talk about her morning, she felt more relaxed, and then she began to read up on cryogenic preservation, simply because Herbert's remarks had made her curious...

Cain Cobblepot had left his car by the river and walked a distance through the city, trying to burn off his feelings of rage at the loss of Ronnie. River had said she would try and revive her – but when? _Why_ was it taking so long? No one knew how deeply this was tearing into him, for every day Ronnie was gone it felt as if a piece of his soul was slowly being torn away. And everyone he knew said he was so damned lucky because he was the son of Oswald Cobblepot, that one day the entire underworld would be his to command. _It meant nothing without Ronnie at his side..._

He was supposed to be meeting his father later that day to discuss business, but Cain hadn't made the calls he was supposed to make. Instead he had stopped his car by the river got out and started walking, because his heart was in pain and he wanted to be with Ronnie. He tried calling Ed, but Ed didn't answer. He didn't doubt Nygma was too scared to give him more of those pills because when he took them, he saw Ronnie at his side, and he wanted her there all the time. Ed knew Oswald would kill him if he turned his son into a junkie. But Cain knew where he could get pills, he was deep in Narrows territory now, and close by was a doorway flanked by armed guards. That doorway was the entrance to the place where Izak Coffinwood sold his wares – he was a young and rapidly rising dealer of what was said to be the very best quality hallucinogenics. Word had got around that he was a threat to the business of others, and Oswald had received complaints. He had sent word to Izak to meet with him to discuss business terms, but so far, Coffinwood had not responded. Oswald was still a long way off from sending in guys with guns to resolve the matter in a permanent way, Coffinwood's name had been mentioned at a recent gang leaders meeting. It had been decided that he should be spoken to as a potential ally instead of threatened, as this was the best way to gain compliance and avoid more bloodshed, but Cain had his own ideas as he walked up to the armed guards who stood at the door.

“You know who I am,” he said, reminding them with a cold glance as he stood there in his dark suit with his hair spiked and looking so much like his father in his younger days, “Step aside, I'm a Cobblepot. I'm here to see your boss – and don't piss me off because this could end today with one phone call, so I suggest you move your asses, people!”

The armed guards exchanged a glance and stepped aside, allowing him access to the doorway, because it really wasn't wise to mess with Oswald's son... and he knew it, too. Cain was still feeling all powerful as he stepped into the darkened room and the door closed behind him, as he looked across the room lit by lamplight to a desk with a regal looking chair, the desk was strewn with jewellery and the man sat in the chair was busy taking a close look at the markings on the back of a large diamond pendant. And then he put down the jeweller's eyeglass and looked up at Cain, who looked back at him as suddenly, he was hit with two thoughts:

There was something about this man that reminded him of Ronnie, of how she used to be when she had first worked for Oswald and hid behind a male persona. His other thought was that as he took in the sight of his bright green eyes and his dark, glossy hair and his striking good looks, his heart had just missed a beat.

_He had not intended that._

_He didn't want to think about that._

_He loved Ronnie._

_No other could ever take her place._

_Certainly, Izak Coffinwood could never replace her..._

But there was something about him that Cain saw in him that reminded him of Ronnie and as much as he tried to ignore it, he could not...

“By the pale face and the jet black spikes and the costly cut of your suit I'd say I'm looking at the son of the Penguin – you must be Cain?”

Izak smiled as his eyes stayed somewhere between alluring and chilling.   
“That's right,” Cain replied, stepping closer as he wished he could just ignore the fact that Izak made his heart race.

“They say a lot about you,” Izak added, “That you're dangerous. Maybe to your own family too if you don't stop throwing your weight around and stirring up trouble, did Daddy never teach you any manners?”

Cain felt a prickle of anger.

“They say your father was Bane. And he's dead now, so I guess he never got the chance to teach you anything!”

Izak leaned back in his chair, his bright blue suit clashing wildly with the red velvet padding of his seat as he regarded him with a look that Cain wished didn't make his heart race- but it still did, rapidly.

“Let me guess, you're here for some free samples? Word has it that you like to conjure up company, your late girlfriend, perhaps?”

He reached beneath the table and took out a small bag and slid it across towards Cain.

“On the house, just because it's you. And by the way, it is true what they say about you, Cain – you are as pretty as your Dad was back in the day. I've seen old pictures, I can make that comparison. Why the hell are you pining for some dead girl? You have the rest of your life to live!”

“There's still hope for Ronnie!” Cain snapped angrily as he snatched up the bag and stuffed it in his pocket, “And by the way – respond to my Father's request to meet or he will -”

“He will do what?” Coffinwood said as his gaze sparkled with amusement, “This is the modern underworld, if I push his people out of business and take over some turf, what's he going to do, send in some executives to have coffee and a nice little chat with me about unity? I'll do as I like. That's how we rise to be men like your father, Cain! I'm not scared of Oswald Cobblepot...”

“You will be!” Cain said darkly as he turned to leave, “You'd best do as he says.”

“It was nice doing business with you, Cain,” he heard Izak call out as he left the building and stepped out into the street.

Cain didn't look back as he took a turn down an alley, paused to take two pills and then he started walking back the way he came in, on a route that would eventually lead back to the car. By the time he was on the way to the waterfront the pills had kicked in and a misty version of Ronnie was by his side, ghostly and beautiful and telling him he was already the king of Gotham, and that he could do as he damned well pleased and no one could stop him...

Back at the mansion, Oswald and Molly had arrived home to find Julian ready to leave.

“I thought I said wait!” Molly exclaimed as they entered the house, “Amy's very weak and messed up and she needs a couple of days rest.”

“Does she understand that I'm no longer a threat, does she know my behaviour was caused by the Tetch virus?”

“Yes, that's been explained,” Molly told him.

“Then I have no reason not to see her today. And I want to help Jax, Molly!”

“Where's Gertie?” Oswald asked.

“In the nursery,” Josh added, “I just settled her while Julian got ready to leave.”

“Then I shall stay with our daughter,”Oswald said, “And I have paperwork to run through and I need to speak with Josh about the allegations. Molly, go with Julian to see Amy. If she shows a hint of becoming aggressive, I want you to both leave at once!”

“Ozzie, she's too weak to hurt anyone,”Molly reminded him, “And she's very fearful. I think we should wait a couple of days -”

They both looked sharply to the door. Julian had just snatched up his car keys and was leaving the house.

“Well, I guess Julian just made his own decision on that,” she replied, “I'll see you soon Ozzie. Don't worry, I'll take care of him.”

She paused to kiss his cheek and then she hurried out of the house to catch up with Julian, who was determined to speak with Amy, and to do it today.

“Can I be of any assistance, sir?” Josh asked as he stood beside Oswald in the hallway.

“You can wait in the study while I read through your statement,” Oswald replied, “Then I'd like to talk to you about the incident and then you can consider your role in this investigation completed. If Jax is innocent, as I suspect, this will be the end of the matter once I've spoken to Amy and heard what she has to say.”

“What happens to Amy if she admits she lied?” Josh hated asking that question, but he had to know the answer. The whole situation was a mess, if Jax was found guilty, he would lose his job and face prosecution through the GCPD, but he didn't know what would happen if Amy admitted making the whole thing up.

“Amy is very sick,” Oswald replied, “She's had a terrible life and she's suffered a lot of damage that I don't doubt has contributed her to reaction to Jax after he interrogated her. If I turn her over to the GCPD she will get a custodial sentence for making up false allegations regarding my senior General. But I would rather – if Amy admits it was a lie – turn the matter over to Mr Sterling and let him decide her fate, I don't doubt once knowing all the facts, Jax would be very understanding. That girl is dying. She needs help not punishment, Josh.”

“And Jax is going through hell,” Josh reminded him.

”And I will contact him today to make him aware of the situation. But first I need to run through your statement,” Oswald said, “And when we are concluded you can go home and take the rest of the day off.”

Oswald led the way to the study as Josh followed. He heard his message alert sound and checked his phone, smiling to see a picture of Ivy cuddled up to Selina as they gazed into the camera.

 _Come home, we're BOTH waiting!_ Was the message, and it made Josh smile.

 _Soon, very soon, business first,_ Josh sent back, and then he sat down in the study as Oswald ran over his witness statement and he repeated what he had seen, his heart aching at the thought of Jax, enduring the wait for this matter to be resolved. Soon after Oswald thanked him for his time and told him he could go home now. Josh had a smile on his face as he left the mansion and headed for his car:  
 _If there was one thing even better than going home to Selina, it was going home to Selina AND Ivy..._


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

“ _Wow, that's so sad!”_

As Selina said that and Ivy nodded in agreement, as Josh sat in the garden while their son crawled about on a blanket in the shade and chased small, magical baby trailing plants that dipped and swirled to make him laugh - all enchanted by Ivy - Josh felt a breeze shift through the garden and he guessed that was a fine comparison with his hopes of a romantic afternoon, as both had just passed him by. He had come home to take off his jacket and tie, loosen his shirt and sit on a a picnic rug on the lawn with the two women in his life – they had set out food too, and it was almost Nathan's nap time and the girls were both wearing short, almost transparent summer dresses (Ivy almost always wore that attire anyway) but Selina was also wearing little as they enjoyed the garden, and he had been hoping, after putting his son upstairs for a nap, that he and Selina and Ivy could roll about naked on this rug in the most private part of the garden, having no fear of being seen thanks to tall trees and large shrubs and high fences.... But then Selina had said, _How was your day, Josh?_ And all his hopes of a romantic afternoon had tumbled down because he had looked around at his happy family and his heart had ached for Jax.

“Awful,” he admitted, “I can't discuss what's happened but I'm worried about a friend at the moment. He's in trouble and I don't think he did anything wrong.”

Ivy had just poured him a drink and she looked at him sharply.

“And you can't tell us more?”

“You'd better tell us!” Selina exclaimed.

Josh shook his head.

“It's a private matter of the highest level, someone could be losing his job and it's unfair - but the whole situation is difficult.”

“Losing their job? Someone close to you? Is it Jax?”

Selina had been sitting beside Ivy and looking at Josh, who sat close by, and now both women were looking at him.

“What's Jax done?” Ivy demanded, then she looked confused, “Jax? What could Jax possibly do to get in trouble? I can't imagine him stepping out of line!”

Josh gave a heavy sigh. Having two women in his life was supposed to be the ultimate happiness, twice the pleasure, twice the love and togetherness, twice the wild sex, too. But twice the questioning over Jax was too much.

“Tell us!” Selina demanded “Is it Jax? Is this about Jax Sterling, Josh?”

He looked from Ivy to Selina.

“I can't talk about it legally! It should be cleared up in a couple of days, then I can tell you everything. My job is on the line if I break the rules.”

The sun made her hair shine like red fire as Ivy sat there with the light catching on the many sparkles on the delicate fabric of her dress.

“Did Jax break the rules?” she asked quietly.

Again, he looked from his wife to Ivy.

“Personally, my opinion is, I don't think Jax would ever do such a thing. _If_ it's Jax we're talking about. It's probably not. And he's probably not been accused of anything as I can't comment.”

“Oh Josh, this sounds awful! I'm sorry, honey,” Selina said, and she shifted closer and hugged him tighter.

As she let go, Ivy hugged him too.

“We won't ask any more, we get it, there's rules and I'm guessing the situation is in Oswald's hand's.”

“Guess as much as you like,” Josh added, “I've said too much. I can't tell you more.”

“You don't have to,” Ivy assured him, “We do understand, and it must be a very hard situation.”

“It is,” Josh agreed. Then he noticed Ivy wave a hand at the plants as they gently crept back up the tree and out of sight, no longer needed as a child's plaything as baby Nathan was asleep on his back, on the blanket as he lay in the shade, a smile on his face as he drifted off, dreaming about playful plants that lived in the garden.

“I should take him up to the nursery,” he said.

Ivy paused for thought.

“When I look at Maria and little Nathan, I wish I'd had kids of my own. But then I remember I raised Penguin and I still see him and Little Penguin and they are my family and that should be enough...but I do wish I'd had a baby.”

Selina looked from Ivy to Josh and back to Ivy again as her hand covered hers and her voice softened.

“I understand that! Why shouldn't you have a baby if you want one, Ivy!!”

Ivy paused for thought as worry clouded her gaze.

“There's a risk that any kid I conceive that grows inside of me, could have birth defects. Remember, I altered my own body chemistry to be Poison Ivy Pepper. And my DNA, taken without my consent, and combined with Oswald's stolen DNA, made Penguin Cobblepot all those years ago! He and little Penguin have those defects because of what I did to my own DNA to become Poison Ivy. It's entirely my fault - I guess that's reason enough to say we shouldn't even be having this conversation.”

Josh wanted to hug Ivy as he saw such regret flicker in her gaze.

“You had on control over the lab experiment, that was Jeremiah's plot, and it went wrong, and Penguin's a great guy and so is his cute little flipper hands son!” he reminded her.

Selina had been thinking deeply, and now she started to smile.

“Fertility units screen out defects, they rewrite the stuff that needs fixing, they prevent birth defects,” she said, “All you have to do is have an implant, grow the baby in the implant instead of your womb, Ivy.”

“And then I'm making sure my baby looks nothing like Penguin or his little boy or has any of their issues. I'd feel bad about that, when I have a womb I can use and yet I'm choosing not to. How can I say I love my family with all their differences when I'm going out of my way to avoid bringing another Little Penguin into the world?”

“But you won't,” Josh said, and as he spoke he felt a rising sense of excitement as he seized his chance, “Because I'll carry the implant. You can carry it to conceive and I'll carry it to full term and give birth to the baby. No defects, just a happy, healthy little baby, another addition to our family, and there's no need to feel guilty about using a birthing unit – you're not doing it to screen out defects, you're doing it because I want to be the birth father – and I do, Ivy, I _really_ do want to try this!”

Selina looked at him in surprise.

“How long have you been thinking about this?”

“A long time, I just didn't know if I'd ever get the chance to try it out!”

“I'm all for it!” Ivy said excitedly.

“So am I!” Selina hugged her, and watching them share a kiss beneath the shade of the tree was a tender and beautiful moment, then both women leaned in, Josh reached for them and pulled them closer, kissing first his wife and then Ivy, whose eyes shone with joy.

“You're going to be the birth father of my child!” she said excitedly.

“Josh is going to be the Mommy, it's his turn now!” Selina added with a bright smile.

Josh felt his excitement building at the thought of bringing another child into the family. It was the best feeling ever.

“Of course we have to wait for the matter of the problem with someone I know to be resolved. Someone who _might_ be Jax!” he reminded them, and then he looked down at his sleeping son, “And you need to go upstairs for your nap,” he remarked, and lifted his son into his arms and then got up and carried him towards the house, away from the heat of the afternoon as Selina glanced at Ivy and she turned her thoughts to more immediate matters.

“It's a great idea, I love it,” she told her, “But Josh won't have much chance to become a pregnant father and have the time off he needs until this mess with Jax is sorted out. I'm going to call Oswald later and ask him what's going on.”

“And put Josh in the shit?” Ivy exclaimed as she poured more wine into her glass, “You can't do that, there are rules, Selina!”

“I know that,” Selina replied, “But Oswald is also my father and I can ask without getting Josh in trouble. He's not told us what's going on. He's only said _someone_ close is in trouble, and it sounds like it's a formal matter, but we don't know what this about or who it's about. Oswald won't be angry with me for caring enough to ask a simple question.”

“Are you sure about that?” Ivy sounded doubtful.

“I know what I'm doing,” Selina assured her, “Trust me, Ivy – I just need to find out what's going on, maybe there's something I can do to help once I know the whole story.”

Amy had been sleeping deeply, and as she started to wake she felt a little stronger. It was the best she had felt in a long while after years of seizures that she could barely control. At least they were doing something right in this place, she decided, and she slowly opened her eyes.

She had to blink several times but her vision was still blurred by the meds and the deep sleep she had just left behind as she looked to the man who sat in a chair at her bedside. His eyes were hazel and his hair was fair and he looked familiar but she couldn't place him with the meds still making her head swim.

“Who are you?” she whispered.

“A friend,” he said softly, and his voice was easy on her shattered senses and something kind shone from his gaze, it was a look she knew she could trust. It almost made her think for a moment that maybe she was dead and there was an angel at her bedside waiting to take her away from this place...

“How are you feeling? River said you had a rough night, but you're improving now. Is it okay if I stay and talk to you?”

Her eyes felt heavy. She briefly closed them and took in a deep breath, letting it out with a tired sigh.

“Who are you?”

“ _I'm Julian.”_

She blinked again as her vision cleared, looking in surprise at Julian Lambrick, who had certainly changed since she recalled him from all those years before: One look at him told her she had definitely shot someone who didn't deserve it, there was no trace in his eyes or his voice of the arrogant and violent man she recalled from the night they first met. Instead she saw nothing but kindness shining in his gaze as he spoke again.

“You don't have to be scared of me, Amy. And don't worry about my arm. You're a lousy shot!”

As he smiled, she did too as her unease melted away.

“You've got kids now?”

“Two beautiful girls, and I'm stepfather to Molly and Oswald's other kids too.”

“And you're happy?”

“Yes I am.”

She was still looking at Julian as he sat there, smiling softly as it hit her that this was the real Julian Lambrick without the effects of the Tetch virus – and he was a really nice guy.

“River told me she's spoken to you about your condition.”

“Just as we were getting along you had to remind me of _that!_ ”

She rested comfortably in bed as she looked at him.

“So, you had a similar problem, but got through it?”

“It wasn't easy, it was complicated and it took several years, but I survived.”

“That's you,” Amy replied, “Your situation is different to mine. And I'm not married to the two most powerful people in this city, I don't have that kind of money behind me.”

“You don't need to worry about cost,” Julian assured her, “Oswald knows I want to help you. And he wants to see you cured too. You don't have to be scared of him, Amy! If it was up to both of us, we would track down every victim of that asylum and offer them the help they need, but sadly most of them didn't make it this far. I know what you went through and you're probably the only person on this earth who can understand my ordeal! We both went through that! So please, let me help you. Let River and Herbert try and find a way to fix you, Amy. You deserve to be living your life.”

“I've been on the run since Ashecliffe, I had to fight my way out to get free. Had to stab an armed guard.”

“And you didn't kill him, and that offence wasn't committed on our soil. I've already put the process through to allow you to stay here in Gotham. You can make a life for yourself, live openly and no one wild pursue you for crimes committed on the mainland. You have the protection of the underworld so please, now you know that, please tell me the truth: Jax didn't touch you, did he?”

Amy slowly shook her head.

“I fell against him, I knew a seizure was coming on but I'm seeing the fucker who tried to chop off my finger, so as I heard the younger guy coming back, I grabbed Sterling's hand and put it on my chest to land him in the shit. At least he's just lost a few days pay. I almost lost my finger! I was hoping to die with nothing else damaged, Julian. I guess I've just been through too much shit to make a rational decision. But no, Jax didn't touch me. I guess I'm going to be in trouble now. But I deserve it, I know I do – I'm looking at you and I'm completely certain I never should have pulled that gun.”

Julian took his phone from his jacket.

“Amy, I'm glad you told me the truth about Jax – but it's no use telling me, he works for Oswald, you have to speak to my husband and tell him what you just said to me, just repeat it all. He won't be angry with you, he just wants to sort this out.”

Amy's face paled.

“I really don't feel comfortable around Oswald. He's the head of the underworld. I doubt he got that far by being a nice guy!”

“He's a nice guy to his family and I love him very much, that's why I married him!” Julian reminded her, “And Molly, his wife – my wife too – has been with him many years. Their eldest son is eighteen. I've known Ozzie long enough to know he won't hurt you. He's mad about what you did to Jax, but he also gets the situation, he knows about your circumstances, Amy. Just talk to him, please?”

She looked uneasily at him as she sat up in bed, watching as he called Oswald's number.

“Ozzie,” Julian said, “Amy's just told me what happened. She admits she made everything up, she was scared and hurting and she lied about Jax, he didn't grope her.”

Oswald gave an audible sigh of relief on the other end of the line.

”Thank goodness that's cleared up! I will need to speak with her, can you put her on the phone?”

“I can try,” Julian said, and he glanced at Amy.

”Please speak to my husband? I swear he won't bite.”

Amy took the phone from him and then drew a deep breath as she summoned the strength to speak.

“Mr Cobblepot?”

“Amy,” said a gentle, silky smooth voice, “You have nothing to fear. But I do need you to confirm what you said about Jax Sterling was inaccurate.”

“I made it up, ”Amy stated, “I'm sorry, but he'd just almost cut off my finger and I was convinced something worse was going to happen so I made it up to -”

“Cause a distraction?” Oswald asked.

“Yes. I would have tried to escape if not for the seizure.”

Oswald paused for thought.

“Normally if someone made such allegations that were proven false against one of my people I would hand them over to the GCPD to face criminal charges,” he told her, “But I'm not going to do that to you. You're in my daughter's clinic suffering the effects of the same kind of terrible torture my Julian went through in the asylum. I know how he suffered, I do understand how sick you are. So I will not be pressing charges. But I will be turning the matter over to Jax, and I will let him decide how best to handle what you've done, because it was his life that was affected by your lies, Amy.”

She took in a sharp breath.

“I don't want anything to do with him, he's crazy!”

“He is most certainly not crazy” Oswald replied, “You need to calm down, Amy. No one here wants to hurt you. Did Julian tell you he's assured your right to stay here with immunity from mainland authorities?”

“Yes.”

“And I hope you understand this is Julian's way of confirming that you are completely safe here. The least you can do is trust him even if you're not yet comfortable enough to feel okay around me.”

“I do trust him.”

“That's good, Amy. I want you to get some rest and I will be calling Jax right now to let him know the charges are dropped. He will be in touch with you in his own good time.”

“Wait, what's Jax going to say to me -”

The call ended. Amy looked in panic to Julian as she handed his phone back.

“He wants Jax to decide what to do? The crazy guy who tortured me?”

“No, it's not like that,” Julian assured her as he shifted his chair closer to her bedside, “Honestly, Jax won't hurt you! I know what Oswald's trying to do, he wants this resolved quickly for Jax and then he's going to ask him to talk to you, to discuss what happened and smooth it all over. Jax is a nice guy. He was very sick a few years back, he almost died and I'm sure after an experience like that, he will want to be understanding with you, and your situation. Please don't be scared of Jax. I can be here when you talk to him, would you like that?”

She nodded.

“I don't want to be alone with him!”

“He won't harm you,” Julian reminded her, and then he got up from his seat.

“I have to go now - I have a baby at home and she's missing me! I'll be back to see you very soon, and next time I'll show you some pictures of me and the family. And Amy, please try and work with River and Herbert, they're trying to find a way to cure your condition.”

“Herbert... I've met him, he's a nice guy.”

For a moment, her mood had lifted a little.

“And he wants to help you as much as River does. Please trust us, Amy. I don't want you to die, I want you to get better.”

There was a flicker of emotion in her gaze as he leaned over and she hugged him tightly.

“ _Thank you for being on my side!”_ she said her voice cracked with emotion.

In that moment Julian thought back to all he had endured at the asylum, knowing he and Amy shared a terrible but deep bond that no other could ever truly understand. They had both taken the same journey through a living hell.

“No one wants harm to come to you,” he promised her, “Just keep remembering that, and trust the doctors here, they do want to help you.”

Amy nodded.

“Thanks, Julian.”

He smiled fondly.

“No need to thank me, just get some rest,” he told her, and then he left the room to meet up with Molly, who was waiting outside.

Now alone, Amy lay back with a sigh, feeling relieved to find out Julian really was the good guy she had been told about, but at the same time, she was still afraid of Jax Sterling – surely he hated her after what she had done to him...

Jax had just finished a lengthy call to Oswald, and as he thanked him and then put down the phone, as he sat there on the sofa and looked to his wife who was sitting beside him, Carol saw her husband's eyes fill with a look of sheer relief.

“It's over, it's all okay – she admitted she lied. I guess I'm too good at my job when it comes to torture, and she's been though too much in life to stand up to that. She told Oswald she was planning to use it as a distraction, she would have made a run for it if not for the seizure.”

Then he paused, taking in a slow breath.

“She has seizures much worse than April used to have. April was born with her condition, Carol. But Amy developed hers after the experiments they put her through in Ashecliffe. Amy also had a young daughter – who was murdered by her husband, he'd gone crazy one night and planned a murder-suicide. On the night she met Julian for the first time, she was trying to win the prize money to hire a hit on her ex, for killing their daughter. Instead she lost and got shipped off to Ashecliffe where she went through five years of hell. She still has scarring to her brain and Oswald said it's going to kill her soon if they don't find a way to fix it. I don't know if River can do it but it's going to be major surgery and Amy might not recover even if they try. I can't hate that poor girl, Carol. I can't even get mad at her now I know all this about her.”

Carol fell silent for a moment.

“And you're absolutely sure she won't try anything like this again?”

“It was just circumstances,” Jax assured his wife, “She was desperate, she was scared, she was looking for a way out – but then the seizure happened. Of course she used the guy who almost cut her finger off, if Josh had done it, she would have been accusing him instead, anything to cause a distraction to buy her a few desperate seconds to try and get away. She's admitted it. She also knows Oswald has left it all with me. I don't doubt the thought of that scares her too. And she needs to know there's no reason to be afraid of me.”

“Do you want to go and see her?” Carol asked.

“Not yet,” Jax replied, “She needs to understand I'm no threat to her. And she's expressed remorse for what she did, I don't expect her to give me a huge apology while she's still got stitches in her finger, but I wouldn't want one either. She's admitted the truth. I have my job back. She's sorry. That's good enough.”

Carol felt a wave of love wash through her heart as she looked into his eyes and decided, despite some of the more terrible aspects of his job as General to the Penguin, Jax Sterling was one of the kindest people she had ever known, and at that moment she loved him more than ever, if that could be possible.

“I'm just glad it's over,” she said, and Jax put his arm around her, hugging her tightly.

“So am I, Carol,” he agreed with a smile, “Now we can get on with life and forget about this,” he let go of her and drew back, as he thought for a moment. “I'd like to try and reach out to Amy. I need her to know I'm not a threat.”

“Maybe you should send her some flowers and a note?” Carol suggested, “I'll help you choose a nice bouquet.”

As she accessed the internet on her phone and started to look at floral gifts, love reflected in his eyes as Jax watched his wife select a bouquet of soft pink and white flowers.

“That's perfect,” he said, “I shall write her a note to go with it, too. Thank you for your help, Carol. I don't know what I'd do without you!”

“You'll never have to worry about that,” she replied as she ordered the flowers, “I'm always here for you, my love!”

Julian was emotional when he returned home, hugging Oswald and then kissing him and as he pulled back he met his gaze tearfully.

“Thank you for letting me help Amy. She needs to feel safe here in the city, she needs to have peace of mind, to know she won't be pursued. That poor girl has been through hell. The same hell as me!”

“I know that, sweet Julian,” Oswald said softly, “And all her records have been updated and her paperwork filed. I've got a letter stamped with the underworld seal and it's staying with me while she's in the clinic, if anyone wants to come looking for her from the mainland, they can deal with me. I won't have her bothered by anyone, she's far too unwell to handle that. Don't worry about her, we will take good care of her.”

Then he reached for him, pulling him close again as Julian hugged him tightly, feeling overwhelmed by emotion.

“I feel like only she can understand my pain properly,” Julian whispered, “We both suffered in that asylum!”

“And we've witnessed what you went through ever since Ozzie got you out of there,” Molly reminded him quietly, as Julian said nothing in reply, clinging to him as Ozzie glanced at Molly, his silent look conveying the message that it was better to say no more on the subject – Julian had been through hell in Ashecliffe. And maybe he was right, only another who had been through the same could understand his pain...

A short while later, Julian's emotional moment had turned into arousal and now they were upstairs as they made the most of their time alone in the playroom as Julian willingly stripped and begged Molly to cuff him.

“ _I need you Doctor Cobblepot!”_ he gasped as he lay there, impatient to feel Oswald's attentions firmly focused on his ass. His fingers in there were not enough as Julian thrust up to meet his movements, as he begged for more.

Molly ran her hand over his hair, kissed him softly, but Julian pulled back as desperation shone in his eyes.

“ _Make me come!”_ he demanded.

Oswald had just tapered his hand to slide deeper into his ass, and Julian gave a soft cry of longing.

“I need more than that, doctor!”

“You're very impatient today Mr Lambrick, I think I might have to punish you with my cock, would you like to take _all_ of my big cock?”

Julian gave a whine of frustration and Oswald drew his hand out of his ass, denying him the satisfaction of taking his whole fist. But Julian's gaze was on Oswald's body, looking intently below the waist as he watched him free his erection, then Molly's hand slid up and down his long, thick shaft as she coated his cock with lube as she kissed him at the same time.

“I think Julian needs a good hard fucking, Ozzie!” she remarked.

“I think you're right about that,” Oswald replied, and as he thrust into his ass, Julian took him all the way, giving a cry of longing as Oswald started to fuck him deeply and slowly with firm, deliberate thrusts.

As his speed picked up, Molly was kissing her husband, then Julian and her tongue was in Julian's mouth as her own hand between her legs sparked a flood of orgasm, but as she gave a gasp and started to recover, she saw Oswald was shaking as he thrust deep into Julian and she reached down, stroking Julian's cock as he came hard and fast in spurts that hit Oswald as he thrust into him one last time.

“Oh yes, this is what _Amy_ needs!” Julian said breathlessly, reaching for Oswald, catching at the sleeve of his open shirt, pulling him closer as Ozzie looked back at him in confusion. Sweat was still damp on their bodies from their lovemaking, and Julian was talking about... _Amy?_

Molly opened up his restraints and lovingly rubbed at his wrist as she saw a strap mark had bitten deep.

“Julian, listen to me,” Molly said softly, “Amy isn't a part of this, a part of us and what we share.”

“But she went through the same as me at the asylum! She probably thinks about _this_ , about the stuff that I enjoy -”

“Julian,” Oswald said kindly as he softened his voice and all trace of dominance left him as he ran a gentle hand down his body then met his gaze as he leaned closer, “Listen to me, sweetheart. Your time in the asylum gave you a fetish for restraint and all the other painful stuff you went through – you get the urge to relive it in bondage play, with us, knowing you're quite safe. That's something very complex and personal to you – I really don't think Amy feels inspired to relive anything she went through. She's still suffering, if River can't help her she won't live much longer. So you must put those thoughts out of your mind, Amy has no place in our sex life.”

Julian blinked away tears.

“I just want her to know the kind of love that we share! I love you so much!”

He gave a sob and Oswald held him tightly, then as Julian said he loved them both and still sounded tearful, Molly hugged him too as the three of them held on and she and Oswald both felt the pain of all Julian had endured that had left him so scarred. His time at the asylum would always haunt him, and seeing Amy again and knowing her story had opened up old wounds that had never truly healed, and never would...

A short while later, Oswald grabbed a quick shower and then he left the house to pick up the kids from school. Molly took much longer, embracing Julian under the shower as they kissed deeply and with tenderness as the warm water washed away the sweat of their love making. When they left the bathroom, she put him to bed and gave him a fond kiss, reminding him to get some sleep, because he always needed a rest after intense lovemaking, it overloaded him emotionally – another of the scars left over from his ordeal at Ashecliffe. Julian would always be affected, it was always there in small ways, never to resolve... Molly got dressed and was ready to go downstairs and as she looked back she saw Julian was sleeping deeply. She smiled as she watched him resting, now oblivious to all the things that had made him so emotional and weep in his waking hours, and then she left him to sleep and closed the door behind her.` And while she waited for Oswald to return, it felt like an ordinary day. But it was far from ordinary, just when she thought everything was under control once more it was about to go wrong, in many ways, and it started with Cain. _He didn't come home that afternoon..._

Herbert West had walked into Amy's room and smiled as their gaze met. There was something enchanting about Amy, her struggles, her closeness to death and how she refused to give into the abyss even though by her pallor and the shadows under her eyes, her body was silently showing signs that she had been through enough. He didn't doubt part of that exhaustion was due to the emotional pain she had suffered.

“I know you've been through hell,” he said as he sat next to her bed, “I don't know if you need someone to acknowledge that, but I do. And I believe there is a way to save you and I want to explain it to you.”

Amy had been shivering until recently, now she felt more comfortable and without the seizures, she was rested from her ordeal and willing to listen. There was something about Herbert and his kind gaze and his gentle voice that laid her fears back down when they threatened to rise up and take control. Sometimes she thought she saw a glimmer of darkness in his gaze suggesting maybe when River had said he was a controversial scientist with research that had been banned on the mainland, that maybe there was more to this. Perhaps he was a mad doctor like Frankenstein... But it didn't stop her feeling at ease in his presence.

“You really think you can help me?”

“Yes, I do,” he told her, “If River and I can find the right combination of meds, we can, using donor tissue, repair the damage for you - but that would mean opening up your skull and cutting out the scar tissue before the donor tissue was put in its place. It would be a large scar but the procedure is simple enough if we can get the combination of agents right. In the mean time, all we can do is keep you on meds to control the seizures and try and keep you comfortable. If we do proceed with the surgery, I can't promise your temperature will regulate as it used to. And you might always need to take certain meds, mainly to ensure no side effects from the surgery, but any post operative treatment would be mild medication and wouldn't interfere with your ability to live your life. Do you think you would be able to try one more time at curing your condition? Because you don't have long to decide, Amy. You're getting weaker and we need to move as quickly as we can on finding all we need to repair the damage. You can trust me, I swear I will not let harm come to you.”

He reached out cautiously, and as she closed her hand over his, he felt relieved. Finally, he was making progress...

“I think maybe you can help me,” she agreed, “I've been thinking about it and I want to get better, it's just that I've spent years thinking it can't be done. But that was before I met you and River, and I know Julian said I can trust you both, and I've no reason not to trust him.”

For a moment he said nothing as they looked at each other and he cherished the feel of her hand warm in his grip.

“All you have to do is trust us,” he reminded her, “I promise it will be okay. I couldn't forgive myself if anything happened to you...” he took in a breath, drawing his hand back from her grip as for a moment, it was hard to meet her gaze after such an admission.

“I understand your daughter's body is in a cryogenic facility back on the mainland,” he said carefully, “Now you're a permanent resident here in Gotham, I was wondering if you would like her body moved here to the clinic – we have a small area where cryogenic preservation is possible to maintain and it would be a simple case of moving the body here so you could be closer to your late daughter, if you would like that I can arrange it.”

Amy nodded.

“Please, I want her here with me in Gotham.”

“I can make that happen very swiftly for you,” he assured her as he omitted to mention that he had called the facility that morning to arrange for the body to be moved, he had already assumed Amy would want that, now that she was a permanent resident.

“Why did you have her frozen?” he asked, “If you don't mind me asking such a question?”

“My mother worked for the facility,” she replied, “and when Lily was killed, when she died in such a horrible way, it was all arranged for me – her body is preserved, never to decay. I have that knowledge that if I wanted to see her, I can still see her face and she looks like she's sleeping.”

“You must miss her greatly.”

“Every day,” Amy said, and it made his heart ache to see such pain in her eyes.

Herbert changed the subject.

“Has River said much about me?” he asked.

Amy managed a smile as she nodded.

“She's said enough. I know you're a doctor and a scientist and you caused a lot of trouble with a formula... you brought the dead to life... and there was chaos because of it and you did jail time and then escaped. I bet you're desperate for Oswald to grant you permission to stay as resident so mainland authorities don't come looking for you. If I can, I'll try and talk to Oswald for you. I know you're still waiting, River mentioned that. She said she gave you a three month pass. The rest is up to her Dad.”

Herbert looked at her in surprise.

“River told you I was a wanted man?”

Amy smiled as she shook her head.

“No Herbert, I googled your name on my phone. That's how I know about your past.”

“I guess I can't avoid that!”

He smiled as for a moment, they looked at one another, then Amy reached for his hand and her touch made his heart miss a beat.

“I think you and River are my best bet, to beat this thing. I'm in good hands. I have two brilliant doctors taking care of me.”

“If you're feeling strong enough tomorrow, you're more than welcome to take a walk around - not alone, of course. But I would be happy to keep an eye on you.”

“Do you think maybe I could get out of here for a while?”

Herbert smiled.

“When you're strong enough, definitely. But for now, you still need to rest.”

His gaze lingered with hers, then she stroked the back of his hand before letting go.

“I've been feeling better since I've been here,” she admitted, “But I don't think I'll ever have a normal life again. The experiments at Ashecliffe affected me in weird ways. I have a scar on my head but it affects me in other parts of my body - I have places where I'm numb. When I say _places_...” she briefly avoided his gaze, “I don't think you can fix _that_.”

“We can talk about this tomorrow,” he told her, “I might be able to help you, if it's a case of increasing sensation in certain areas... it can be done. I don't want you to have anything missing from your life, Amy. I want you to be happy.”

“You're very sweet, Herbert. I wish I'd met you years ago.”

“But you know me now,” he reminded her as he got up, “And I will help you.”

Just then a nurse looked in to tell Doctor West he had a phone call.

“Thank you, I'll be right out,” he replied and then he said a fond farewell to Amy and left the room.

While she rested she had no clue that the call he took was handled quickly and quietly as he returned to the lab and then grabbed the phone, keeping his voice low:

“ _Yes,”_ he confirmed, _“That's correct... I want the organs brought straight to the lab. There's no need to ask River to sign for them, she's far too busy. I'll take charge, I have permission.”_

Then he ended the call as his gaze shifted to the neon green, glowing bottle of Re Agent that sat on the table... he had taken some chances in the past, but this time, it was a case of his work and his research combining with love, because he did love Amy, and he wanted to give her everything, not only her own life back, but he wanted to bring her daughter back, too. No challenge was too great and when it was done, he felt sure Amy would love him as deeply as he loved her.

But for now, he was being cautious. He wasn't going to tell her he had ordered a new heart and lungs for Lily because he was expecting her original organs to be damaged. He didn't know how River would react when she found out what he was planning, either – but he hoped that by then, Amy would be stronger and ready to have the treatment that would save her life. He would deal with the legal consequences later. _None of that mattered as long as Amy got what she wanted, and as long as she was happy, he felt sure he would be, too..._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The flowers were beautiful, and as they stood in a vase next to her bed in shades of pink and white with soft petals open and filling the room with a scent that almost made her forget she was in a hospital, Amy read the hand written note that had arrived with the bouquet:

_'Dear Amy, I hope you are resting and the medication is working well. I have great faith in River's ability – she is a fine doctor, and also family to me! Please consider the matter of what happened following your interrogation to be closed. Now let us start anew. Be assured if there is anything I can do to help you at this time, I will be happy to do so. Consider all forgiven and all I ask in return is that you rest and try and get well – also, I would like to visit you soon, if you are comfortable with that. Fond regards, Jax Sterling.'_

Amy felt instantly reassured as she read the note – so he could be a nice guy, there was more to him than being a torturer – and he was being so kind to her that she felt guilty for what she had said about him. Back then, the situation had been different. The truth of the matter had changed everything... and as she thought about how she had come to this city to kill Julian believing him to be a monster, she blinked away tears. Knowing the truth had opened her eyes to what had really happened back then, the reasons for his actions. Julian was a victim, just like she was and he had over come a lot to rebuild his life. He was sweet and kind and so was everyone around him, despite what she had done, they all wanted to help her.

Jax wanted to help her too. He wasn't the monster she had imagined. And she didn't doubt Oswald was the gentleman Molly claimed him to be. After years of hell she had expected everyone to be evil to the core – and she was wrong. Only now was she finding out there was still hope and kindness in what had been a harsh and evil world. Coming here to Gotham had altered everything for her...

“ _What lovely flowers! Who sent them?”_

As Herbert entered the room and asked that question, he hoped he didn't sound envious, but the flowers were lovely and she had been smiling down at the note she was reading. For a moment, Herbert imagined some lost love returning to her life, probably tough and handsome and the kind of man to turn heads everywhere he went – certainly, he wouldn't be a quiet, spectacle wearing scientist who spent most of his waking hours hidden away in a lab...

Amy sat here on the bed wrapped in a dark silk gown, her hair falling past her shoulders, framing her pretty face as she looked at him in surprise... was Herbert jealous? She instantly knew that had to stop because she liked him, she liked him a hell of a lot and he really didn't need to worry...

“Jax Sterling sent the flowers, and he wrote me a sweet letter, too. I feel bad about what I said about him now. Julian's right, he's a nice guy... and he was just doing his job. It must be tough, working for the underworld. He doesn't come across as the sort of guy who enjoys hurting people.”

“I don't know him,” Herbert replied, “But I have heard he's a nice guy. And unfortunately his job demands a lot, leaning towards the darker side of life, as he is General to Oswald. I don't doubt Josh has faced the same issues – but those in high rank can't talk about these things, Amy. I guess if a person wants to make a difference in this city and keep their hands clean, they join the GCPD. The underworld is the other choice, and not necessarily a bad one just, the alternative.”

“That's a great observation.”

He smiled.

“I often observe. I tend to do that more than voice my opinions, I'm a quiet guy.”

She smiled too, and as she got up and took a cautious step towards him, he instinctively reached for her, afraid her condition may have weakened her, afraid she might fall, but as he put a steadying hand on her arm she smiled as she met his gaze and his heart began to race.

“I'm okay,” she told him, “River's started me on a pill form of the meds I was having through the IV. She said I'm stable for now.”

“For now,” Herbert repeated, silently worrying, “I hope she told you it's important that you rest? Are you aware that your condition could suddenly worsen?”

“...And, there's no permanent fix for me yet, so I guess I should make the most of the good days,” she replied.

He saw so much fight and strength in her eyes. It only made him love her more deeply although he knew he had to love her silently, keeping those feelings in his heart, because now was _not_ the time to reveal the truth because Amy was still waiting for a cure.

“I can show you my lab if you promise to spend the rest of the day in bed,” he said to her, “It's on this floor, it's not far to walk, but if you leave this room and spend some time with me I want to be sure you'll get plenty of rest later.”

“Deal,” she said, and he felt bewitched by the sparkle in her eyes.

Herbert put his arm around her to be sure she was steady, and as she exchanged a glance with him, her hand covered his as it rested above her hip. She felt warm and close and he didn't care how long it took her to get there, he would take an hour if she needed to go slowly, what mattered was spending time with her, and it was good to see her stronger and out of bed. They left her room and he led her down the corridor towards his lab, taking care not to let go in case she fell.

Jax had been to visit Josh that morning, to tell him the good news that the case was closed and his worries were over. Josh had hugged him on hearing this, and told him he had hoped for this outcome. Jax didn't doubt he wished he could have done more, but rules had to be followed and all Josh could do was give a statement and sit back and wait. Selina had mentioned that she had been planning to ask Oswald what was going on and Jax had told her, _Please don't!_ As he reminded her that the matter was now resolved, and it really was for the best if it seemed to Oswald that Josh had not so much as hinted to his family that his friend was in a crisis at work. But that crisis was now resolved and when Josh told him the news that Ivy was planning to get pregnant via implant, so that he could then carry the unit to full term, it felt like a double celebration as Jax had hugged them and then reminded Josh to let Oswald know as soon as possible – even before he was carrying the implant, because Oswald liked to know when his staff were planning to have kids, so he could make sure their duties kept them away from high risk tasks.

While he was talking with Selina and Josh and a very excited Ivy Pepper, Iris had turned up with Little Penguin, and Iris had been talking about Amy and seemed concerned about her now she knew the full facts.

Word travelled fast in a place like Gotham, especially when news was spread through a large family like the Cobblepots – Penguin had been talking to Oswald on the phone and then Iris had asked to speak to him about Amy, and Oswald had told her everything. Now it was clear Amy was no longer a risk and fully understood Julian was no threat, as soon as she had learned Jax was talking of visiting Amy, Iris had offered to go with him. She even suggested bringing Little Penguin along, because if Amy was still uneasy at the thought of meeting him, surely she wouldn't be scared when she saw the small round boy with flippers, he made _everyone_ smile...

A phone call to River a short while later confirmed Amy was a lot stronger today, and she said she would let her know she had visitors – when she located her, as at that moment in time, Amy wasn't in her room... And now, after an hour with Josh and the two lovely women in his life, as they had talked about their baby plans, Jax was in the car with Little Penguin and Iris, and they were on the way to the clinic, hoping to say Hi to Amy.

Iris wasn't sure how to feel about seeing her again, especially after Amy had stabbed her years back, determined to win the prize even if she had to take out all the competition to do so... But Iris had hurt others too. She still recalled that gun going off and seeing a man die in front of her, and weeping as she had been the last person standing, the winner who took the cash... No one was perfect. She wasn't going to hold a grudge now. And seeing Amy under these circumstances seemed like the right thing to do, even if she didn't know what to say to her... She was deep in thought as Jax started up the car.

Molly spoke in a lowered tone as she and Oswald discussed their son. They were downstairs, he was upstairs after coming home between three and five am, they had heard him walking along the hall, talking to Ronnie.

 _Talking to himself, because Ronnie was dead..._ and he had not left his bedroom since.

“I'll go and speak to him,” Oswald said.

They were standing in the hallway and Molly could see the haze of smoke still hanging in the air just outside the open door to the study. Her husband had been in there smoking again because he was worried about Cain. He said he didn't smoke these days. He told the kids the same. But Molly knew. She had caught him enough times! And she worried because Oswald was getting older, and he didn't look after himself as well as he should, and to think Cain was adding stress to his life now, after being the son they had never had to worry about too much, was the worst feeling. They had never had to worry about any of the kids apart from Lucy with her gifts, and then there was the time when she had been kidnapped – but Lucy was responsible beyond her years, she kept her abilities hidden, she knew she had to behave...

And there was Cain, heir to the throne of the underworld, coming home after being missing all day and most of the night, rambling, off his head on hopefully nothing stronger than booze – and he was now eighteen years old. He wasn't a small child they could tell off, he was older, he was a young man and he was losing it - and _that_ was terrifying to know...

“No, Oswald!” Molly said, “I know what you're like – you'll go in there and start shouting -”

“ _I won't shout!”_

Oswald stopped right there, taking in a deep breath as he remembered to keep his voice down, “Molly, I just want to talk some sense into him!”

“You can't! He's grieving! I remember how I felt after I thought I'd lost you -”

“And that was my fault, I was forced to disappear!” Oswald's gaze reflected regret, “This isn't about me -”

“No, it's _not_ , but let me tell you,” Molly struggled to keep her voice low as she blinked back tears, “I remember before the kids were born, when Jeremiah Velaska almost _killed_ you! _I know how I felt at the thought that I might lose you, Oswald! Don't tell me he needs some sense talked into him – he's lost the woman he loves! I know how I felt when I found you, after Jeremiah left you for dead!”_

She felt a flash of panic like an old shadow of a monster long forgotten rising up to tap her on the shoulder, it was a flicker of a returning fear that would never leave her alone, not after waking such a memory. Oswald saw it in her eyes and stepped closer, closing his hand gently on her arm.

“Molly, don't bring _that_ into this situation! You didn't lose me! I know it still haunts you, but that was almost twenty years ago! It's a _very_ different situation with Cain!”

Molly blinked back tears.

“Yes it is,” she replied, “It's worse, because he's so like you. He has your _family curse_ , as your Dad would have put it. Except it's not a curse, it's called depression and he's sinking, Oswald! _He's drowning in front of us, he's on the edge and I'm afraid for him!_ ”

“And you think you can change that? You can't bring Ronnie back!”

“But maybe I can help him, if I tell him I understand!”

Oswald gave a heavy sigh.

“Molly, you have Ptsd, caused by the day Jeremiah almost killed me. You didn't lose me, my dear!”

Old memories were making tears burn in her eyes as she blinked them away.

“ _But I did, a thousand times over on that day, in my mind, when your life was hanging in the balance! I touched that dark place, what ever it is when we grieve – it reminded me of when I lost Liam before I met you, I know what grief feels like! I had to bury him back in Ireland, and then I thought I'd have to bury you!”_

“And I lost my mother to murder,” Oswald said quietly as the pain of the memory felt sharp as yesterday, “I also know loss, Molly!”

“Just let me talk to him, if I can't get anywhere, you try! We can't do this together - we both go in, he's going to walk out! I need to try this my way, Ozzie.”

Oswald looked up the stairs, there was no sign of Cain.

“Do what you think is best, my dear,” he said, and as she hugged him, his heart ached for past pain that haunted her and memories that would never stop haunting him. They had both suffered over the years in different ways – but there was no pain worse than this, seeing their child go through so much and feeling powerless to change it. Oswald kissed her cheek and then stepped back.

“I'll be waiting right here,” he said.

Molly nodded, then she went up the stairs to try and talk to her son.

Standing outside Cain's door, Molly felt fucking strange.

This was a crazy situation, she told herself:

_I've kicked the fuck out of Velaska more than once and filled him with bullets. I saved Oswald and then I helped to save River when Velaska took her._

_I even stood up to Bane!_

_I can do all that shit but I can't get myself together to walk into my son's room and ask him what's wrong?_

_How the fuck can I be so scared, he's my own son!_

She took a deep breath.

 _I'm scared of losing him,_ she concluded.

Then she drew in another breath, steadied her nerves and knocked on his door.

“Cain,” she said, “I need to talk with you, son.”

There was a moment of silence, then the door opened up. Cain stood there in jeans and a white shirt, his hair was still damp from the shower and he looked exhausted.

“I'm tired, Mom. Can't this wait?” he asked.

He looked so like a young Oswald. Her boy so grown up and with so much power because Ozzie had allowed him to keep his role in helping run the underworld, simply because he didn't want to take that away. Cain had been strong when Ozzie had vanished, he had been the man he would one day be when he did take over from his father forever – but that was a long way off. He wasn't ready for anything yet. And losing Ronnie had sent him on a downward spiral. He looked more than tired as he stepped back and she walked into the room, desperately worried as she saw he was perspiring and this room didn't smell like her son had been sleeping off a drinking session. _So why the hell had he been talking to Ronnie last night?_

“No, this can't wait. I heard you come in last night, heard you talking as if Ronnie was next to you! What's going on with you, Cain?” she demanded.

He blinked, his eyes wide as he looked so like her husband, then he shook his head.

“Nothing, I was just missing her, Mom. I want her back! I need her back with me, I told River that when I went to see her.”

“You went to see River, about reviving Ronnie?”

Cain raised a dark eyebrow in surprise.

“No! I wouldn't to over to the morgue to see River, I went to see Ronnie, to talk to her, she _needed_ me!”

Molly stared at her son.

“You... you went to the morgue to see Ronnie, to _talk_ to her because she needed you? But she's dead!”

“Not for much longer. River knows I need her back.”

Molly tried to hide her worry for her son as she spoke again. Cain was losing it, he was really losing his mind...

“Are you taking drugs, Cain? Because you sounded out of touch with reality last night, and off your head - and you don't look like you've been on the piss! What are you up to?”

“Nothing!” he said sharply, “Am I not allowed to grieve in my own way?”

“You can grieve, Cain. But _don't_ kill yourself in the process!”

He looked away as he fought back tears.

“I'm sorry,” Molly lowered her voice as she stepped closer to him, “Me and your Dad are always here for you. And River will bring Ronnie back if she can – _if_ she can! You have to remember it might not happen, reviving a deceased person is difficult! These formulas that restore life are complicated, most of the time they fail because it's so damned hard to bring someone back! Accept it might not happen, because that's the reality.”

The sad look she saw in his eyes made her heart ache sharply. He was eighteen years old and utterly shattered, his heart was smashed to pieces at losing Ronnie. And there was nothing she could do to ease her son's suffering.

“She has to come back, because I can't live without her,” he said quietly.

Molly reached for him. He held on to her and hugged her tightly as he fought back tears, then as he let go, he seemed stronger.

“I think you should talk to your Dad, he's worried too,” Molly told him, “And he asked you to send a couple of guys over to respectfully speak with Izak Coffinwood about a meeting with him, you should have done that yesterday.”

“I did,” Cain replied, “I went to see Izak personally. And he said he had no intention of making any kind of deal with my father.”

“Then you need to talk to Oswald about that,” Molly told him, “And Cain, please don't see Coffinwood personally again! We have staff to arrange meetings. No one expects you to take a risk like that. I don't want you to take chances and neither does your Dad.”

Cain was aware just how worried his mother was – he also knew he couldn't tell her about the drugs, and he wished he was still on them, because he wanted to see Ronnie again, and Izak sold good stuff. But knew he couldn't take more today, or he would be a wreck and his parents would work it out. He forced a smile.

“I'll talk to Dad right now.”

“That's a good idea,” Molly replied, and as she left the room he followed, pausing to sweep back his damp hair as his eyes darkened. He thought of Izak and how his refusal to meet with Oswald was making the Cobblepot name look bad. He knew he had to do something to show the son of Bane the meaning of respect. After all Bane had done to this city, it was no more than he deserved.... And now Cain had a plan, and the thought made him smile as he went downstairs to talk to his Dad, keeping silent about his idea, because his father would be furious if he found out what he had in mind...

Amy was in the lab with Herbert. She had spoken with him about his work then they had sat down at his desk and the conversation had shifted to the asylum, then he had told her about his years spent in prison. He had smiled as she said she understood the pain and frustration of being locked up, but then he had reached across the table and said softly that he could only imagine the horror she had been through.

_Herbert had given her hand a gentle squeeze._

_She had not wanted him to let go._

They talked about her daughter, then about the fact that he had no family – his life had been dedicated to his work. And just as they were talking about life and his hopes to settle in Gotham, the phone had rung. Herbert had answered it and assured River that her patient was with him and quite safe, and River was happy to know that. As he ended the call, Herbert looked back at Amy.

“River said Jax Sterling wants to see you. He's bringing Penguin Cobblepot's wife with him, you know her, she's called Iris.”

The name immediately brought to mind the night they had met.

“Oh shit, I stabbed her...”

“Why did you do that?” he asked.

“It was a deadly game, there was a group of us. Your brother's sadistic parlour game.”

She saw a flicker of regret in his eyes.

“I'm sorry,” Herbert said, and Amy instantly wished she had not sounded so accusing.

“You had no control over Shepard. You don't have to apologise for what your brother did.”

Herbert gave a shrug.

“But I feel I should. I know my work is controversial but I've only ever worked towards creating life – never to harm or destroy it. Any incidents as a result of my experiments were unintentional. New discoveries can be as dangerous as they are wonderful, Amy. My Re Agent has such power and potential, but at the cost of everything else around me. My work had to become my entire life.”

“Well, it's not too late to do the things you missed out on ,”Amy replied with a smile, “You could still meet someone, fall in love, get married.”

Herbert smiled warmly as their eyes met. He reached across the desk and closed his hand over hers.

“That's a lovely idea. Maybe, it's lovely because _you_ said it...” he drew his hand back, remembering there was much to do and perhaps it was too soon to get closer, “Tell me about the side effects left over from your time in Ashecliffe, you said you have a lack of feeling?”

She blinked, taking a moment to adjust to the sharp change of conversation.

“Oh, _that_... I'm kind of numb in places...”

“What places?”

She briefly looked away.

“I don't think it matters now.”

“But it does! Loss of sensation can be restored, River has two very powerful agents that can be combined to heighten sensation, it would reawaken nerve endings... Where are you numb?”

She gave a sigh then she shifted in her seat before meeting his gaze once more.

“Here...” she sat back in the seat, parting her legs as her hand slid up to her thigh, “And _there_...” her fingertips briefly touched her groin through the fabric of her robe, then she drew it away, shrugging off her awkwardness.

“I was numb down one side of my body, below the waist after the surgery. I guess some kind of signal from my brain was cut. Some of it came back but …” she shook her head, “It doesn't matter now. I'm sick and I probably don't need to ever worry about it again. I can't have an orgasm any more, I can't feel _that_ part of me.”

Herbert paused for a moment, then he spoke up, not daring to let himself think beyond anything that wasn't professional.

“As I said before, I can combine two agents and treat the loss of sensation, it's a simple case of injecting the area. I can treat your thigh and the sexual issue. You would get feeling back right away but expect the sensation to rush back, and pain at the site of the injection a few minutes later. The needle mark will heal within a few hours because the agents both have rapid healing ingredients, but the risk is, you might find you become a little over sensitive. You could go from feeling nothing to becoming quite aroused very quickly and very often. If you're okay with that risk and you can cope with it, as long as you understand what to expect, I can perform the procedure now.”

She looked at him in surprise.

“You can inject my thigh?”

“Yes, it won't do any harm.”

She hesitated.

”But what about the other place?”

Herbert didn't allow his thoughts to wander to her body and his hopes for what might one day come of this. He just kept in mind the fact that he hoped she would remember, when she looked back, that he had been completely professional about this. Of course he hoped to make love to her one day, but for now, he just wanted her to feel as normal as she could under the circumstances.

“You said you have no sensation, I take it you mean in your clitoris?”

She nodded.

“Then I'll inject you there,” he replied, “You won't feel the needle. But you may feel pain for a short while as sensation returns.”

Amy hesitated. As she looked at him, she felt sure he could be trusted, but there was one thing that worried her and she felt comfortable enough to weigh it up and make her decision.

“I would like the numbness gone,” she briefly smiled, “My life's been shitty these past few years, if I live long enough, if I get through this, I'd like to feel normal again. But we can't do this now, I can't have this done while I'm so sick.”

“Yes, you can,” he replied, “The agents I'm using will work to increase sensation, taking the numbness away - it's only effective in a small area that's injected and these agents don't affect the medication you're on and certainly don't change your issue with the scarring to the brain. We can do it right now if you want to go ahead with it.”

Amy slowly nodded.

“I guess I have nothing to lose. And, I trust you.”

Warmth reflected in his eyes.

“You won't regret this,” he assured her.

A few moments later they were in the next room, and Amy was lying back on an examination couch as Herbert combined two of River's formulas and loaded up a syringe. He focused on the task, pushing away all thoughts that she was lying there, her body exposed. He longed to shower her with kisses, to declare his love for her passionately – but it had to wait. In that moment, he thought about all the times he had experimented with body parts, reviving them with his Re Agent.

_Just body parts._

He held that thought as he went over to the table and stood there, briefly feeling her thigh and then his gloved hand shifted lower to a _very_ intimate place as he kept his mind on his work.

“Are you sure you can't feel that?” he asked for the second time.

“I can't feel a thing, it's like pieces of me are missing!” she assured him, then she felt pressure on her inner thigh and he drew back the needle, pausing to clean away a spot of blood.

“If you feel pain, I'll stop,” he told her, feeling a flicker of worry.

Then he kept in mind again, _just body parts_ , and the fact that at this moment she was his patient, as he carefully jabbed the needle into her body again, trying not to think about that sharp needle piercing her in such a delicate place as he quickly injected and withdrew it.

“Okay?”

He hadn't meant to sound so anxious.

Amy saw his worried expression.

“I'm still feeling nothing!”

Then it happened. A burning sensation in her thigh, then warmth as if a piece of flesh had slid back into place after a long absence. Then as a rush of sensation, heavy and throbbing hit her core she gave a gasp, and the syringe fell to the floor as she grabbed at the sleeve of Herbert's white coat, dragging him closer.

“ _Oh fuck!”_

She gasped again as he instinctively placed two fingers against her swelling clitoris and rubbed gently, honestly hoping to prevent sharp pain. Amy's face flushed as she thrust against him.

_This wasn't pain._

“ _Herbert!”_ she whispered, as her eyes grew dark with desire.

Her face was flushing deeply. The sensation had come back so fast, she was coming under the touch of his gloved hand, but going by the look in her eyes this was exactly what she wanted. She reached for him with her other hand, closing it on his shoulder as she thrust against him again, giving a whine of desperate need.

“ _Make me come! I want to fuck you so bad!”_

He gave a gasp at her pure honestly, he had been aware she was attracted to him, maybe even fond of him, but now he knew she wanted him. He rubbed faster, keeping the pressure gentle on her swollen, tender clit. She gave a cry as she hit her peak and he watched her body contact, vagina and ass pulsing as the orgasm hit hard and wetness ran from her entrance. Her parted thighs were shaking, her pupils were dilated, and she wasn't letting go of him.

“Amy, I _must_ be professional -”

“ _I want you Herbert, I want you inside me! Hurry up and fuck me!”_ she panted.

Now his growing erection was killing all good intention of keeping his mind on the job. He pulled back from her, paused to rip at his belt and he lost a button in his haste to open up his pants, then he tugged her towards him, and as she slid down the table and he took her in one thrust he gave a gasp, shaking as hard as she was panting as he thrust in and out of her body as she moved in unison with him.

“ _Come here!”_

She had demanded it, grabbing at him, pulling him close, raking her fingers through his hair as her tongue filled his mouth and he thrust again, it was a fast and desperate coupling of their bodies as he felt her tremble and she slammed against him, triggering another orgasm that made him lose control. He pulled out fast, reaching down and jerking hard at his cock, spilling hot white come over her belly and then slamming his hand against the table to stay balanced as his legs felt like jelly. They were both still breathing hard, and he was looking down at her as she looked up at him, they were both breathless and flushed and sweating.

“ _I love you!”_

He couldn't help the words that had fallen from his lips.

Amy felt a rush of emotion as she reached for him as she looked into his eyes. This wasn't about the simple task of restoring her feeling in an intimate place, not now – it was about so much more, about all the need and the fondness and the emotions they had both held back. She didn't need to think about her reply.

“I love you too,” she said softly, and those words went straight to his heart.

“Let me clean you up, I need to clean the injection sites again...”

He let go of her hand, pausing to turn away and then take another breath before he gently cleaned her up – a task that was arousing all over again as he first cleaned away her wetness, taking in the sight of her pussy swollen up with desire, then he gently cleansed the needle marks and placed a hand on her shoulder, encouraging her to lie back and rest.

“Just lie there for a short while and then I'll take you back to your room.”

He smiled.

She giggled.

“With your cock out?”

“ _What?”_

“Your cock is still out!”

She giggled again as he realised his mistake and quickly tidied his clothing. He was blushing as he fastened his belt and then met her gaze once more.

“I meant what I said.”

“So did I.”

As she lay there he gazed at her, taking in the sight of her with her long hair falling over her shoulders as she got her breath back, still perspiring and with her legs parted. Then he reached for her gown and covered her lower body. He didn't want to pull away as he leaned over her, as their eyes met and he felt as if his heart would burst with joy.

“When you're better, we can make plans – if you want to.”

“I would love that!”

She smiled and his heart skipped a beat. He leaned closer, placing a kiss on her lips, then on her upper chest.

“I will show you how it feels to be truly loved, I'll make you happy! I want to be the one who makes you smile every day!”

Herbert shifted lower, placing a kiss on her belly through the fabric of her robe.

“ _I want to be the man who gives life to your child!”_

He couldn't help the words that had fallen from his lips as love swept him away, but as he straightened up once more and met her gaze, Amy was smiling.

“Maybe another baby, who knows? I don't know, maybe, _if_ I recover - but I do know I feel complete again.”

Herbert said no more on the subject of children. She didn't actually realise he wasn't talking about having a baby with her, he was talking about bringing her dead daughter back from the grave, and she wasn't ready to hear that yet...

“Are you feeling okay, is there any pain?”

“No, I just feel warm and alive.”

She tossed her hair off her shoulder as she sat up. There was still a glow to her face as she got off the table and he reached for her, pausing to pull her close and kiss her again.

“I recently bought a house on the Gotham hillside overlooking the city – it's not that far from Oswald's place, maybe I should try and contact him again, I can't list it as my permanent residence until Oswald gives me permission to stay permanently.”

“Maybe talk to River about it?”

“Yes, that might be a good idea.”

As they talked, his arm was around her as he led her out through the door and into the lab. He was about to head for the corridor and escort her back to her room when the phone rang. He told her to wait for him and answered the call, and then as he said to the caller that he would be ten minutes, he felt a flicker of worry and hoped it didn't show as he put the phone down and rejoined Amy as they left the lab together.

“I have to get to work as soon as you're back in your room,” he told her, “I have a busy afternoon.”

And as they walked back together she had no clue the real reason he needed to rush off was because her daughter's body had just arrived at the facility...

As they pulled into a parking space at the clinic, Jax paused for thought as the engine shut off.

“I think this will be difficult for both of us,” he said as he glanced at Iris, “We both have a past history with Amy that is less than pleasant. But as long as she knows we mean well, that's what matters.”

“I'll go in first,” said Iris, “I'll take Little Penguin with me.”

There was a _pop, pop, pop_ from the back of the car.

They both glanced back. Little Penguin smiled a broad smile.

“ _Penguin farted!”_ he announced, and threw his head back and laughed.

“Please don't do that when we visit Amy,” she said, “Remember she's sick, Penguin.”

His small dark eyes shone brightly.

“Penguin make her happy!” he said joyfully.

Iris looked fondly at her son.

“You make everyone smile,” she told him.

Then they got out of the car and Little Penguin reached for her hand as Iris took hold of his flipper and together with Jax, they headed for the entrance to the clinic.

Back at the mansion, Oswald was relieved to see Cain following Molly down the staircase.

“Sorry Dad,” Cain said as they reached the bottom and he joined his father, “I didn't mean to worry you both. I'm more than capable of doing my job, I just needed to take a day out of everything to think about Ronnie. I miss her.”

Understanding shone in Oswald's eyes.

“As long as you're sure you can cope, I'm happy for you to help handle business,” he assured him, “But son, you have to accept Ronnie may not be coming back. We don't know for sure that River can help her. All you can do is carry on with life, that's the most important thing, you must look to the future, with or without her, you are eighteen years old. You have a lifetime to look forward to, Ronnie wouldn't want you to spend your life mourning her.”

His fathers word's made his eyes sting with tears as Cain nodded, but he pushed the advice aside as he ached to hold her in his arms again.

“So, back to business,” he said, forcing a smile for his parents.

“I'll make some tea for you both,” Molly said, and went off to the kitchen to leave father and son to talk. Oswald began to limp towards the front room as Cain walked beside him.

“I spoke to Izak Coffinwood yesterday,” Cain told him, “He refused to have a meeting with you. He seems to think he would prefer an aggressive stance.”

“Then your next move is to call my Generals and ask them to pay Coffinwood a polite visit - just to talk with him - and to explain the importance of being on good business terms with the underworld,” Oswald replied, “I'd like you to deliver that message right now. Then we can have tea and talk about other business matters.”

“I'll do it right now,” said Cain, “I left my phone upstairs.”

As he hurried off towards the stairs, Oswald watched his son leave, feeling sure Cain was getting on top of his grief. Perhaps last night was the end of this time of feeling lost and hopeless – he really seemed to have found purpose again...

Now Cain was alone upstairs, he stood in his room and walked to the window as cold rage fired up in his eyes and he made a call to Jax Sterling. The call went to the answerphone, so he left a message, determined that Izak Coffinwood didn't get a chance to undermine him and defy his instructions – he would teach him a lesson he would never forget, that the son of Oswald Cobblepot was as feared as the Penguin himself...

“Jax,” he said as he stood at the window with a devious gleam in his eyes, “It's Cain. Dad has instructed me to task you and Josh with handling Izak Coffinwood. _You're to go to his warehouse, shoot it up and burn the place to the ground. Orders of The Penguin_.”

Then he ended the call as he smiled and a look of victory shone in his eyes: _Now Izak would know who the boss was, and pretty soon he would be on his knees and Cain felt sure once his Dad saw his reasoning, and got over his anger at this disobedience, he would thank him for this demonstration of power. Oswald was feared by his enemies. Cain wanted to be feared, too...he wanted the whole of Gotham to fear him..._


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Jax was yet to receive his orders from Cain. He sat outside in the waiting area with his phone alerts switched off while Iris went into Amy's room and Little Penguin waddled alongside her.

“Hello, hello!” Penguin declared brightly as he hurried into the room and raised a flipper and smiled at the lady who sat resting on the bed. She looked back at him in surprise and then smiled at the sight of the endearing little boy who was small and round with flipper hands, he had the most adorable smile and his small dark eyes shone with joy.

“Hi there, who are you?” she asked.

“Little Penguin,” he announced, and then he scrambled on to the chair next to her bed and sat down, “Penguin see Amy and Mommy see Amy.”

Iris had entered the room. Amy looked at her, Iris looked back at Amy as both women were hit with a flood of memories - and none of them good.

“Hi,” Iris said, standing beside the chair as Little Penguin bounced playfully on the seat, “It's been a long time... “

“Your son is adorable,” Amy said honestly, then she brought up what was on both their minds, determined to air it once and get it out of the way, “Listen Iris, back then, when we first met, it was all bad... let's just put it behind us. Sorry about what I did to you.”

“I'm sorry about what happened to you too,” Iris said quietly, as in her mind she was recalling her own brutality, sat at that table shooting the only other remaining contestant to save her own life and steal the prize, “They were bad times. But let's move on. Jax is outside. Can he come in?”

Amy nodded.

“I'm tired, but I want to speak to him. I guess we need to clear the air.”

“I'll go and fetch him,” said Iris, and then she glanced at her son, who she didn't want in the room while Jax and Amy mentioned the interrogation, because it was certainly going to come up in conversation...

“Little Penguin,” she said, “I need you to wait outside for a moment, just sit down in the waiting area and be a good boy?”

“Penguin back soon, bye friend!” he said to Amy, then he jumped down from the chair and waddled out the door, following his mother from the room.

Amy felt her guts go tight, then she remembered the note Jax had sent her as she glanced at the flowers. He wasn't a monster, she told herself, she just had to remember that and everything would be fine...

Little Penguin sat down on a soft chair in a quiet waiting area at the end of the hall. Iris paused to go to a vending machine and returned with a small bottle of lemonade, she handed it to Penguin and he pulled up the top and slurped from it, then belched.

“Penguin want sandwiches!”

“Later, when we leave. Just sit here and wait for a while, okay? I'm not far away, I can see you from over there...” she indicated further up the corridor to the open door of Amy's room. Penguin drank more lemonade and nodded. Then Iris walked off with Jax.

Little Penguin watched as his Mommy went into the room with Jax to say Hi to Amy, she stepped out and looked up the corridor and Penguin smiled broadly and opened up a flipper and waved. Then Iris went back into the room, and Penguin finished the last of the lemonade, belched, tossed the plastic bottle and jumped down from the chair. There was an elevator close by, it was set apart from the other one that went up to the higher levels. He had never rode in that one before, and now he was curious. He waddled over to it and pressed a button. Doors slid open to reveal metallic interior. The light above was bright and he smiled as he waddled in.

“Adventure for Penguin!” he said as the doors closed behind him, then the elevator began to move downward...

Iris was unaware her son was missing as she stood in Amy's room at a distance as Jax spoke warmly to her. Amy's unease had disappeared as soon as Jax had reached for her hand, gently patting the back of it as he apologised for injuring her finger.

“How are you?” he was asking, and Amy was feeling relaxed as she spoke to him, explaining how River's treatment was working so far, but she was still waiting for a long term cure.

“Oswald and Molly send their regards,” Jax added, and then he took out his wallet and showed Amy a picture of Carol and Alicia.

“This is my wife and daughter,” he told her, and passed the picture to Amy, who smiled.

“You have a lovely family, Jax,” she replied.

Iris was still looking on, all past resentments gone now as she realised just how fragile Amy was. She looked pale and her arms were bruised from needle marks. She was resting on the bed and barely moved, looking exhausted, but despite this, there was a shine to her gaze that said despite everything, she had a reason to be happy. Iris hoped what ever that reason was, it would be enough to keep her going and help her fight this. Her condition was similar to the damage Julian had suffered, and she knew if she was going to get through it, Amy would have a hard fight on her hands. But seeing her smile as Jax spoke softly to her made her smile, too. It seemed Amy no longer feared him, and she was quite at ease with both of them. Iris stepped closer and decided to join the conversation, assuming Little Penguin was still waiting in the seating area...

The elevator stopped. The doors slid open. Little Penguin waddled out, eyes wide and flippers open as he looked around at doors that were all shut... _All except one._ His little shoes tapped on the hard floor, echoing about the corridor as he headed for the open doorway.

It was all still and quiet in the big room with blank walls. There were metal drawers on one side of the room, and on the other was a big table, with something on it that looked like the shape of a person and it was covered by a sheet...

“Hello?” Penguin said, and waddled over to the table.

He stood on tiptoe and his eyes went wide as he saw a hand poking out from under the sheet... the fingernails were short and neatly filed, and there was a small chip of black nail polish on the little finger. The hand wasn't moving.

But it looked like... Ronnie's hand?

_But Ronnie was dead...._

“R-Ronnie... hello, Ronnie?”

He raised a flipper and gave the arm a tap. It felt cold and strange under the sheet, and as he tapped it again, the arm swung loose as the sheet shifted a fraction from the turned head of the body, giving a glimpse of the undamaged side of her face.

It _was_ Ronnie!

“Wake up, wake up!” Little Penguin said, and closed a flipper about her hand. _Her hand was too cold._

His eyes went wide as he let go and staggered back, then he drew his flippers close to his chest as he looked fearfully about the room...

_This was a room for dead people?_

He started to whine, and the whine got louder and louder as he stood there with his flippers close to his chest, shivering as he stared in horror at Ronnie's corpse beneath the sheet.

The door opened up. Herbert had just finished storing Lily's body in a separate room, then he had locked the door and was about to return to the ground floor to go back to the lab, but then he had heard the wailing sound. He hurried in and stared at the sight of the small round boy in dark jeans and a blue t shirt, his flipper hands were tight to his chest as he stared at the partially uncovered body and wailed in fear. Herbert went over to him, and the boy looked up at him.

“ _Ronnie is dead!”_ he gave another wail.

Herbert cautiously reached out, placing his hands on his shoulders.

“Ronnie is dead, but some day she might come back. Some people do – if we can fix them.”

Little Penguin stopped wailing, blinking away tears as he looked at the man in the lab coat who spoke softly and wore the kind of glasses that reminded him a little of Ed Nygma.

“She... comes back? Ronnie back, hello again, hello Ronnie?” his tears had dried now.

“I hope so,” Herbert said kindly, “But this is a morgue, it's no place for a child!”

“Are you a doctor?”

“Yes, I work with River, the doctor who owns this place, my name is Doctor Herbert West.”

“Oh! River is family, Little Penguin is family to River!” he said excitedly.

“Your name is Little Penguin?”

He nodded.

“Why are you here on your own?” Herbert asked.

”Penguin went on adventure! Mommy went to see Amy.”

“Ah, that makes sense. Let's take you back to Mommy,” Herbert said, and then he held his hand out to Little Penguin who held out a flipper, and before he was led out of the morgue, he glanced back at the body on the slab.

“Bye bye Ronnie, Penguin see you soon- again!” he called out.

They took the elevator back to the next floor. As the doors opened Little Penguin waddled off towards the nearest door, then stopped and turned left and right.

“ _Penguin is lost!”_ he said in panic.

“No, not lost, just disoriented - Amy's room is up the other end of the corridor,” Herbert told him.

“Where is Herbert going?”

”To the lab, I have to work on some science stuff, medicines called agents, I'm helping River find the right agents to help Ronnie.”

“Penguin help Herbert!”

“No, you need to find your mother.”

Penguin gave an excited little jump.

“Herbert teach Penguin science!”

He smiled at the thought. In all his years working with the dead he had not expected his day to be brightened by a small lost boy called Little Penguin who had flipper hands and wanted to learn about science.

“I have to take you back to your mother,” Herbert said, “Let's go and find her.”

At that moment, Iris hurried back up the other end of the corridor, frantic with worry as River hurried after her.

“ _How can he just vanish? Security is tight here, where is my baby?”_ she said frantically.

“Mommy!” Little Penguin gave a wave of his flipper hand.

Iris ran up the corridor as River hurried after her.

“Don't you ever wander off like that again!” Iris said, placing her hands on his shoulders as she looked into his eyes, worry reflecting in her gaze.

“He's okay, I found him downstairs, he was exploring,” Herbert said.

Iris stared at him.

“ _Downstairs?”_

River glared at him.

“The morgue? The ...” she placed a hand on Herbert shoulder, turning him away from Little Penguin as she lowered her voice, _“The fucking morgue?”_

“He'd wandered in, he saw Ronnie's body – only the undamaged part of her face – and I explained to him that there was nothing to be afraid of, and he calmed down.”

“ _Calmed down?”_

Iris had heard that, and now she was fuming.

“ _You let my kid see Ronnie's dead body?”_

“No, I just found him in the morgue!” Herbert insisted.

Jax had just left Amy's room after wishing her a speedy recovery, and he walked down the corridor to find Herbert standing there looking bewildered as River and Iris both spoke angrily, as he tried to explain again.

“You were down in the morgue and he walked in?” asked Jax, hoping to cut through the bullshit to clarify the situation.

“No, I was in another storage area, and I heard him wailing in the morgue, and I went in there and found him!”

“What were you doing in a secondary storage area?” River asked as suspicion crept into her voice.

“Locking up a door someone left open,” Herbert lied, hoping she would accept that.

“And he was looking at the body?” Jax added.

“It was mostly covered. He caught a glimpse of her face. I explained it in a way that calmed him, he was scared, but he's okay now.”

Iris took Little Penguin by the flipper.

“We're going home now,” she told him, then she glanced at Herbert.

“Thanks for finding him for me. I just wish he hadn't seen Ronnie!”

“Maybe you should talk to your son about death,” Herbert suggested, “He was very scared. There was nothing to be afraid of.”

“I guess you would say that, spending your life around corpses and body parts,” Iris said as tension rose in her voice, “Little Penguin must have been terrified!”

“Only at first, I reassured him!”

“Thank you for your help,” Jax said to him politely, and then he turned to Iris.

“Doctor West has done all he can to help out today, it's not his fault Little Penguin wandered into the morgue.”

Iris nodded, but as she looked at Herbert it was still there, that sense of familiarity hitting her as she noticed how much he reminded her of Shepard.

“Sorry,” she said, _“I guess I just get uneasy around Lambricks!”_

Herbert stared at her.

“I cut ties with my family and their name many years ago, when I was a med student!”

“You're not that uneasy Iris - you used to date a Lambrick,” Jax reminded her, “Lets leave the past out of this, shall we?”

Her jaw briefly dropped as she shot Jax a stunned look.

“This is _nothing_ to do with me and Julian -”

“Let's go,”Jax said again, placing a hand n her shoulder as he steered her away, “And thank you once again for your help, Doctor West.”

Jax walked off as Iris went with him, and she didn't let go of her grip on Little Penguin's hand once as they headed for the exit.

“I'm sorry about that,” Herbert said to River, “I was locking a door and I heard a wail from the morgue. That's when I found him standing next to Ronnie's body. I'd laid her out ready to do some repair work to the throat, but she was covered up. I calmed the boy down and then I brought him back up here to find his mother.”

River nodded.

“Thank you for handling this so well. I'm sorry about Iris, I guess she would see the similarity between you and Shepard and that would have brought back memories for her that she doesn't like to think about, but you shouldn't have to be reminded of your family links when they stopped being relevant many years ago. That wasn't fair on you.”

“Her reaction was understandable. I'd better get back to work now, I have a formula to test and then I need to get my tools, I need to work on Ronnie -”

“ _Wait.”_

Herbert had turned away, but now he slowly turned back, getting a sinking feeling as he noticed River had a definite tone of suspicion to her voice.

“What door were you locking? I wasn't aware the other storage areas were in use at this time?”

“It was just an open door, nothing the room,” Herbert lied.

And she accepted that, but then she spoke again and he felt a flicker of panic.

“You also signed for human organs on my behalf... I just heard about it. You signed for a heart and lungs with no specified donor match listed, no details, just a package of guts... you also signed my name wrong, Herbert. My working name is still Doctor River Mooney – but when I sign official documents, I sign my married name, Mrs River Zsasz. Why did you sign for these organs and not tell me? I wasn't aware we had a transplant patient here at this time?”

He looked at her, briefly lost for words. During his time as a scientist, he had managed to talk himself out of blame for many things, including the deaths of others and the rampaging reanimated corpses who had killed them, but it still caught him for a moment there as he mentally scraped about for an answer. Then one came to him.

“I don't know – I was passing by the main entrance and the delivery arrived and there was no other doctor to sign for it at the time, so I signed the paperwork and then a nurse took the organs away – I don't know which doctor has them now.”

River's eyes narrowed.

“You're not messing around with body parts, are you, Herbert? We have an agreement that you stay away from that shit! I'm _not_ having corpses staggering about _my_ clinic tearing people apart, and I certainly won't have reanimated _parts_ of corpses crawling up the walls, either!”

“I'm _not_ experimenting with parts!” Herbert insisted, “But I _am_ trying to work on reviving Ronnie Collins, as we agreed!”

River gave a sigh, then she briefly took off her monocle and rubbed at her eye, then she put the monocle back and met his gaze.

“Okay, I'm sorry. It's been a long day. Get back to work, Herbert, I have patients to see now.”

As River walked off, Herbert breathed a relieved sigh, then he went back to the lab to test the formula, and while he mixed the agents, he also prepared the tools to work on Ronnie's throat injury as he hoped River wouldn't take a look in the storage area downstairs, or try to find out more about the organs he had signed for...

Josh was enjoying his day off work. He was more than enjoying it, on the bed, his cock buried deep in Ivy as Selina thrust two firm and lubed fingers again into his ass as he shuddered and wondered how much more his prostate could take. She had the angle perfect and he was sweating and shaking and barely able to summon the strength to thrust again. He was gasping as his wife did her magic on his ass as he felt the edge of all control crumble away and fell into an abyss that sucked him down into a spiral of what felt like a never ending orgasm. He heard a yell that filled the room and knew he had shouted far louder than intended, but this was the best orgasm he had enjoyed for a long while, sex was always good with his two partners but this, today, was made in heaven...

He came hard inside her.

He had lost count how many times he had come inside Ivy since she had the implant set into her womb. As soon as they conceived, it was being removed then he would carry the baby to full term. He and Ivy would have a baby. A kid to grow up with Maria and Nathan. Their family would be complete...

He was gasping for breath as he collapsed exhausted on top of Ivy, his breathing hot and fast against flame red hair that carried a scent he could only think of as the earth and all that sprang from it. He withdrew from her and rolled on his side, feeling the embrace of his wife as she lay behind him. Selina kissed his cheek and he turned his head, then their lips met. The room was full of the scent of their lovemaking, his come and the double scent of two wet pussies, a scent he wished he could bottle just for the memories. This was paradise... Life didn't get any better than this.

_And then the phone rang._

“Leave it!” he said, still breathless as he turned on his back and lay between the two women in his life. But the phone kept on ringing.

“Oh no, it's work!” Selina said as frustration filled her voice.

“Better get that, Mr General to the Penguin,” Ivy added, sounding exhausted, then she gave a sigh and stretched and got comfortable on the bed, her breathing slowing as she relaxed.

Selina handed him the phone.

“Say you're sick. Say I'm sick. Say anything the fuck you can think of, just _please_ don't let anything spoil today!”

Josh took the phone from her. Jax was on the line.

“I'll try,” he promised, and then he took the call.

“Josh,” Jax said, “I've just received word from Cain that Oswald has a serious matter for us to attend to. It's regarding a certain nuisance drugs dealer who needs to be taken down.”

“ _What?”_

Josh sat up sharply.

“When did this happen?”

“I can't say more, but we need to act immediately. Please be ready in one hour, I'll be over to pick you up, we're taking my car.”

“I'll see you in an hour.”

Josh ended the call, climbing over his wife and leaving the space beside her and Ivy achingly empty as he left their bed with a heavy heart.

“What? _No,_ Josh! You promised, today was going to be all for us!” Selina protested.

He was heading to the bathroom as he turned back, looking to their bed and to Ivy and Selina, both naked and disappointed as they sat there looking at him like Christmas had just been cancelled.

“Sorry,” it was all he could say, “Oswald has a job for me, Jax said it's urgent. I have to go.”

Selina gave a cry of sheer frustration as she laid back down. Ivy ran her fingers through her red hair and gave him a weary look.

“See you later, Mr General.”

“I'm sorry, ladies!” he repeated, and then he went off to the bathroom to grab a shower.

One hour later, Josh was outside the house as Jax pulled up and stopped the car. Josh had been standing there for more than twenty minutes, in his suit and the tie that bore the umbrella logo of the underworld, as his gun weighed heavy at his side. He got into the car and didn't look back at the house, didn't want to think either about the two women in his life who were disappointed their day of lovemaking had been cut short. They had planned to stay in bed all day while Maria was at school, only taking breaks to tend to their baby son, while they worked on making a sibling for him... and now _this_ had happened. Josh was silent as the car drove away.

“I'm guessing I ruined a family day?” Jax asked.

“We had plans, but work comes first,” Josh replied, then he glanced at Jax,

“What's this about?”

Jax accessed messages and handed the phone to Jax.

“Listen to Cain.”

He did. And his orders were not what he had expected.

“Oswald told him to ask us to shoot the place up and fire it? Is he having a bad day or something? I thought we had to approach Coffinwood respectfully – Oswald said violence would be a last resort.”

“I thought the same, Mr Penguin always puts business first, and tries to keep the peace – but Cain went to see Coffinwood. I don't know what happened, but clearly, it went badly. Maybe Coffinwood threatened Oswald. Or perhaps it's because he's Bane's son. I may be wrong, but if that is the reason, no one would blame Oswald for wiping out his operation.”

“Word is that Coffinwood gets his supplies from out of town. Maybe that's why.”

“He's certainly putting other, underworld protected dealers out of trade,” Jax agreed, “But I didn't expect him to order something like this. Oswald was planning negotiation, hoping to get him to use local suppliers and cut out the mainland links. He doesn't want to tear anyone's business down, he would rather see him do well and take a slice of it if he traded for supplies over this side of the border – that's what he told me last time we discussed Coffinwood.”

“When did you discuss him?”Josh asked.

“After dinner last weekend,” Jax replied.

“I never knew that. Oswald doesn't discuss those matters with me.”

“He will,” Jax said with a smile, “Give it a few years. You have to be around him at least ten years before he pulls you into those kind of discussions. I've got a couple of machine guns in the trunk. Gasoline, too. We'll go around the back.”

Josh nodded but said no more as he thought on all Jax had explained. While it was true only the senior General shared his first thoughts on underworld issues, he still felt uneasy about the task at hand. It just wasn't like Oswald to lose patience so quickly and give such destructive orders...

They arrived at the warehouse. There were armed guards at the front and the back door was locked. The warehouse was close to the docks, set apart down the quiet end of the river front. Josh was waiting in the car as Jax took the third can of gasoline and began to walk back towards the building. As an armed guard rounded the corner, Jax dropped the can and jerked the guard's weapon downwards as he jabbed a blade into his throat. Blood spurted on to the ground and the man fell, then Jax picked up the can, stepped over the body and went on his way.

_And Josh still had a very bad feeling about this..._

_He took his phone from his pocket and called Oswald._

The phone rang for a while, and then Oswald picked up.

“Is it done?” he asked impatiently.

“We're about to go in,” Josh replied, “Sir, I just wanted to make sure - these orders -”

“What about them?”

“Are you sure you want us to -”

“Get on with your job and don't question me, Josh! What is your problem today? I have a stack of paperwork to handle, I have calls to make, I have work to do and other pressing matters to attend to – _and_ I have to be at the school this afternoon, it's my turn to pick the kids up because Julian's busy as mayor, opening the new library - and Molly has to go to Lucy's school play!”

“Yes, sir, I realise that. Sorry to bother you.”

Josh ended the call and got out of the car. He picked up the machine gun left by the trunk and exchanged a glance with Jax.

“I'll take the front,” Jax said, “You come in through the back.”

Josh nodded, then he took position and waited.

Jax walked around the front of the building, spraying machine gun fire as the guards were punched bloody with holes. He fired off shots again, hitting more guards and warehouse workers alike. Shots rang out from the floor above and he ducked behind crates and returned fire, smashing glass in an office window as a body plunged to a hard landing on the ground below. As he walked around the crate he fired off more shots. Workers were fleeing, those who were unarmed dodged bullets as Jax took out more armed men, a single spray of machine gun fire and the element of surprise shattering bone and blasting holes in flesh as the warehouse was spattered red.

Jax unlocked the back door and Josh raised his weapon, but the place was empty now, aside from the corpses on the floor as blood ran freely. Jax had just shot around fifteen people, and they were all dead. Those who had fled through the open doors would live to tell the tale of the day the Penguin's General came here and shot the place to hell. Clearly, Oswald was teaching a harsh lesson to Coffinwood and anyone else who dared to defy him – but it was such a destructive gesture. It still didn't feel like the kind of order Oswald would give. There had been times when executions had been ordered - but Oswald took out the leaders of troublesome gangs, not entire groups. And he hated to burn property, he had always said arson was such a waste. But there was always a first time, Josh guessed...

They spent the next twenty minutes soaking the place in gasoline. Jax left a trail from the front of the place and as they drove past on the way out, he tossed a lit match. The fire chased a pathway across the ground and over bodies and into the warehouse. The car had reached the road and they were driving away by the time the place went up in flames, then there was a boom as the roof was blown apart and flames licked out and the skies above filled with smoke.

Jax made a call to Oswald.

“Job done, sir,” was all he said.

“Thank you, both of you,” Oswald replied, his voice filling the car as Jax drove and the phone was on loudspeaker.

“ _And what did Mr Coffinwood say? I hope the meeting went well this time?”_ Oswald added.

Josh stared at the phone as that creeping sense of unease hit him full on. He and Jax exchanged an alarmed glance.

“I'm sorry, sir?” Jax sounded as confused as he felt.

“What did Izak Coffinwood say when you spoke you him, did he agree to meet with me to discuss terms?”

“Well I don't think he will have any assets left to consider using for trade, what terms, sir?”

There was a pause.

“I'm confused, Jax,” Oswald said as his temper began to fray, “I'm asking you a simple question! And what's this about him having no assets?”

“You ordered us to shoot the place to hell.”

“What place?” Oswald said sharply.

Jax Sterling's eyes widened.

“ _Oh, shit....”_ Josh whispered.

“Cain said go to his place and shoot it to hell and fire it. That's what we did. We went to the docks. We killed his workers and torched the warehouse.”

There was a long silence just as dark storm clouds gathered overhead in the distance as Josh guessed that was probably something like the way Oswald's temper was building at that very moment.

“YOU FUCKING IDIOTS!” he yelled, “I DID _NOT_ ORDER THAT! I SAID, TO SPEAK TO THE GUY, TO _NEGOTIATE!_ ”

“ _With respect, sir, that was not the order your son gave us.”_

As Jax said that, Oswald fell silent and when he spoke again, his voice was lower and tempered with ice.

“I see... Cain gave the order?”

“Yes, sir, I can forward you the exact message.”

“Please do that. And don't bother awaiting further instruction, you may both go home – and speak of this incident to no one! It seems I have a _family matter_ to attend to.”

The call cut off.

Josh swallowed hard, then turned his head, meeting his gaze as Jax looked back at him with a startled look in his eyes.

“I do believe Oswald's son decided to make his own decision here – clearly, the wrong one. We must say nothing of this, it's a serious incident. Let the boss handle Cain, don't even call him, Josh. When Oswald is angered, it's wise to keep out of his way.”

“Are we in trouble?” Josh asked as his throat went tight.

“Oswald will understand why this happened. The blame lies with his son and that is none of our business,” Jax reminded him, “Forward that message to Oswald, Josh. Then I'm taking you home. And please don't speak about this to your family. It has to stay a closed matter, it's for Mr Penguin to deal with.”

Josh picked up the phone and found the message and sent it to Oswald, then he took a deep breath, fighting off a wave of panic. In all the time he had worked for Oswald he had never imagined screwing up so badly. He hoped Oswald would remember he had called him to try and question the order. But now was _not_ the time to speak to him about it. When things went wrong on a scale that could seriously screw up the running of the underworld or harm its reputation, Jax was right - it was best to keep clear of Oswald Cobblepot, whose temper could turn murderous in times of gangland crisis...

Molly had been in the kitchen when Oswald had started yelling on the phone. She had hurried down to the study to find out what was going on, and arrived in time to see him slam his phone on to the table as rage burned in his eyes. He had not had a good day, he had a stack of paperwork to do and on top of that, mainland authorities had called regarding a wanted fugitive, Doctor Herbert West. Oswald had told them for now, West had a three month permit to stay in the city. After that, he would decide if his stay would be permanent – until then, West had only three months until they crossed the border to return him to mainland custody, unless Gotham granted him immunity. Oswald was yet to decide. West was a controversial figure, and this town was already known for calling Hugo Strange one of its protected sons, despite his human experiments years before. At least his experiments had improved the lives of some of his subjects. West had reanimated corpses – creatures that had then turned deadly to others. That was a different matter, West was no Strange, and that made the decision a hard one. But all of that had been dashed aside as Oswald slammed the phone down after his conversation with Jax Sterling. His eyes were blazing with fury as he got up from his desk.

“Ozzie?” Molly said, “What's happened, love?”

“Our fucking son!” he fumed as he limped away from his desk, “That's what's happened, Molly! He just ordered Jax and Josh to take out Coffinwood's people and fire his warehouse!”

“They didn't do it, did they?”

“ _Of course they did, they thought the order was from me!”_

Oswald turned sharply from Molly, rage blazing in his pale gaze as he limped from the room and set his sights on the staircase, where on the next floor, Cain was in his bedroom.

“ _Cain?”_ he called out as he stiffly made his way towards the stairs, _“I want a word with you, son!”_

Then he grasped the stair rail and began to quickly make his way up, so furious he didn't care about the pain in his damaged leg as rage close to murder blazed in his eyes and Molly hurried after him.

Cain opened up his bedroom door.

“Dad, let me explain -”

“ _OZZIE!”_ Molly yelled, too late to stop him as his hand clamped about Cain's throat and he shoved him, slamming him against the door as it hit the wall and Cain looked in terror at his Dad, as he tried to breathe and Oswald squeezed harder.

“ _LET HIM GO! LET OUR SON GO!”_

Molly tugged at Oswald's arm, but he turned his head as murder shone in his eyes.

“ _Keep out of this!”_ he snarled, and then he glared at Cain as his hand stayed about his son's throat.

“ _You could have just declared war. You could have seen a revenge attack on this family – on your parents, on Julian, on your siblings! As of today, your authority to assist me in ruling the underworld is withdrawn!”_

He let go of him as Cain's legs buckled and his hand flew to his throat and he coughed, then looked in utter shock at his father. In all the years he could recall, he had never seen his Dad with such a look in his eyes before.

“ _You could have killed us all and destroyed everything I ever worked for! You could have made the unity pact collapse! We are not executioners who kill for the sake of it, how dare you use my loyal men, my best men, to casually shoot up a bunch of people who have no quarrel with me or my organisation? And you destroyed a warehouse, you burned useful property! This has cost lives and money! And you'd better hope Coffinwood's mainland suppliers have been paid up - because his merchandise has gone up in smoke and I do not trade with outsiders from the place that would have forced reunification on us post war!”_

Molly reached for Oswald's arm as he leaned in close to his son, eyes still blazing.

“Ozzie, don't hurt him, don't hurt our boy...”

As she said that her voice trembled. This was the worst she could imagine ever happening under this roof, Oswald laying into Cain as she used force to stop her husband from killing their son... But Oswald's anger had simmered down now. Cain stood up and rubbed at his throat, then he shook his head.

“You don't get it,” he said quietly, “Coffinwood wants to take over. He thinks you're going soft. He needed a _lesson!_ The whole city needs to remember who you are – who WE are!”

“You are _not_ ready to command or take any responsibility within this empire,” Oswald stated, “I will clean this mess up with money. I will mop up the blood and clean away the wreckage with my wallet, and you will do nothing at all – you will keep your mouth shut about this incident and I will put it down to a communication failure between my people and Coffinwood's side. Any repercussions because of this incident will be _your_ fault, remember that!”

Anger fired up in Cain's eyes. As he stood there looking so much like a young version of his father, Molly wanted to grab him and shake some sense into him and yell at him – but then she noticed something Oswald didn't. His eyes were wide, the pupils dark and dilated.

“Cain,” she said quietly, “Are you taking something?”

He ignored her question.

“You don't understand, Dad! I know I handled this right,” he gestured to an empty space by the window, “Ronnie agrees – ask her!”

Oswald stared at him, then glanced to the window and back to his son.

“Ronnie's dead!” Oswald stated.

Cain laughed as he shook his head as in his mind, Ronnie stood there by the window, smiling at him in approval.

“You have to look harder,” Cain said, “Then you'll see her. Ronnie's over there. She's _always_ with me now.”

Molly felt a sweeping sense of cold dread wash over her as she looked at her son, who was clearly out of his mind.

“There's no one there, Cain!”

“Just talk to Ronnie,” Cain said, and then he pushed past his father and walked off, heading for the stairs.

Molly and Oswald looked back at the empty space beside the window, where the curtain blew ghostly on the breeze, then as she met his gaze, worry reflected in her eyes, mirroring the look on her husband's face. They had just realised, Cain was losing his mind...

“Ozzie, we need to help him!” Molly said urgently.

The front door slammed shut and the sound echoed up the stairs.

“What the hell is wrong with him?” Oswald said as his voice trembled. All thoughts of rage at his actions were gone now, replaced by fear for his eldest son, who was obviously going crazy. Outside, Cain's car fired up and then drove off at speed as tires screeched.

“Ozzie,” Molly said again, “We have to do something!”

Oswald shook his head slowly as tears filled his eyes.

“Like what, Molly? Have him put in Arkham, is that what you're saying? Lock him away? No, I can't allow that! I know what I went through -”

“Arkham's not like that any more! And he needs help!”

“ _Our son is not going crazy!”_

Tears had cracked his voice.

“But he is,” Molly said as she closed her hand on his arm, “Oswald, he's losing his mind! He needs our help. And I think he's taking something, I think he's using drugs.”

Oswald paused, taking in a slow breath.

“I will call River later on and see what she can suggest.”

“He needs help _now_ , Oswald!”

“I would prefer to take River's advice.”

“River can't help him, he needs psychiatric help!”

Oswald shook his head.

“I will speak to River first,” he replied, “I'm sure she will be able to help. And that is the end of this discussion.”

Molly's jaw dropped.

“Excuse me? That's our _son,_ Oswald!”

“And I said, _I_ will handle this, Molly. _No son of mine is going to an asylum!_ ”

With that, Oswald walked out of the room. Molly didn't follow, instead she turned back and looked about Cain's bedroom, deciding to search it from top to bottom, because she needed to know what he was taking, and surely _something_ was stashed in here... She needed to know what it was, she had to find out what poison was making her eldest son lose his sanity...


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

As the days passed by, the weight of worry Molly felt grew deeper. Cain refused to talk to his sister about his claims that he could see Ronnie. When she came over to speak to him, he laughed it off and said it was about time she realised he was grieving – and when was she going to bring Ronnie back, because he missed her... He still went out and didn't call home, still had days when he went missing.

There was no word regarding Izak Coffinwood, who had disappeared on the day his warehouse was burned to the ground. That made Molly very uneasy indeed, but Coffinwood's people were gone, his supplies were gone, he had lost everything – and the mansion was well guarded, Molly knew they were safe. Josh and Jax were assigned regular duties and Oswald said no more about the incident with Cain, and neither man wanted to ask about him because as Jax had said, when Oswald was in a rage, it was best to leave him alone...

Oswald was still undecided about granting Herbert West immunity from prosecution. He knew River needed him to work on Ronnie, and when that was over, he guessed his services would no longer be required – but he couldn't be sure a man with his track record could be trusted to remain in this city and not turn back to his old experiments, which could pose threat to the wider community if they got out of hand. Molly had tried to talk to Oswald about Herbert, but he didn't know he had been to the house and she certainly knew it wouldn't be in his best interests to mention the incident with that _fecking fish_ with teeth and wings...

As the days passed, there was good news from the clinic – Amy's condition was, for now, stable. And plans were underway to revive Ronnie – River had installed the cyborg unit and the repair to her internal damage was completed, all that was left was to use the restorative agents to bring her back, only then would they know for sure if it had worked. How much of Ronnie as a person could be saved, remained to be seen. Herbert wasn't happy about substituting a chunk of missing brain with tech, but they had no other alternative.

_The news had reached Cain._

He had simply said he would believe she was back when it happened. And then he had gone off to his room, and Molly had sworn she heard him talking up there. Her son _still_ didn't look right. His eyes were too wide and dark, and he often looked to another side of the room as if someone else was with him. But he was hiding it now, he was denying there was a problem...

Over at the home of Penguin Cobblepot, while her short, round husband sat at the breakfast table with their small, round son, Iris was cooking breakfast. Father and son both had their flipper hands on the table, and both were in thought. Then Penguin glanced at his wife, recalling the conversation they had shared more than once lately following Little Penguin's visit to the morgue.

“Maybe I should do it,” Penguin said in a gruff voice.

“Now?” Iris asked as she began to serve up breakfast, “Do you really think this is the best time?”

“Why not? You may not like the guy because he reminds you of Shepard, but I think Doctor West has a valid point.”

Penguin looked at his small son.

“Was it scary when you went into the morgue and saw Ronnie?”

Little Penguin touched the tips of his flippers together and nodded.

“But then it was okay. Herbert tell Penguin sometimes people come back, like Ronnie.”

“Yes, she might be back,” Iris said as she joined them at the table, “But not everyone can come back, Little Penguin.”

He fell silent for a moment.

“Penguin likes Ronnie.”

“We all liked Ronnie” Iris reminded him, “But we don't know if she will wake up again, it's very hard to do, to bring somebody back when they've died.”

“Die is _not_ fair!” Little Penguin said sadly.

Iris and Penguin exchanged a glance.

“That is true,” Penguin agreed, and he reached over and patted his flipper and smiled, “Now, let's eat before breakfast gets cold.”

The knife and fork were shoved aside as Little Penguin dived into the food with his flippers. Iris smiled, shaking her head as she wondered why she ever imagined this conversation would upset their son – he was just like his father, one mention of food and nothing else mattered.

As he got ready for work that morning, Josh was prepared to start just another day, which would be ordinary, most likely involving paperwork, because there were no major incidents, life was quiet, the underworld was running smoothly... He stood before the mirror and straightened his tie, then he put on his jacket and smiled at the man reflected in the mirror:  
 _There you are Josh,_ he said to himself, _Father of two, husband and lover to Selina and Ivy and you're also General to Oswald Cobblepot. This is as good as it gets, this is success..._

Then the door burst open and he turned from the mirror to see Ivy and Selina standing there.

“Guess what?” Selina said excitedly.

Ivy held up a positive pregnancy test.

“You'd better tell Oswald you need some time off,” she said with a smile, “I've got a baby here and needs Daddy to carry it!”

Josh stared at her as the news sunk in.

“ _You're pregnant?”_

He started to smile.

“And soon, you will be!” Selina said as she rushed over and hugged him and gave him a big kiss as her eyes shone with joy, “I've already called Gotham General and asked for an appointment, you and Ivy go in there and it's a twenty minute procedure, they take the unit from Ivy and implant you instead! This is so easy, and it's _so_ wonderful!”

“It is!” Josh could barely speak as Ivy hugged him tightly and let go again.

“I've never felt closer to both of you,” she said as her eyes shone and her smile got wider as she thought about the new addition to the family.

“I'd better speak to Oswald,” Josh replied, “When do we have the appointment to transfer the implant?”

“They have to get back to us, but it should be very soon,” Selina explained.

Josh smiled as he hugged his wife and then their pregnant lover, and as he let go it felt truly wonderful to realise that soon, Ivy wouldn't be carrying that baby – he would be carrying it, thanks to incredible tech that made all things possible.

“I'm going straight over to the mansion, I'll speak with Oswald this morning,” Josh said, and then he grabbed his car keys and hurried for the stairs.

Ivy turned to Selina, her face radiating pure joy.

“This is a dream come true for me!”

“And me,” Selina said softly as the two women hugged tightly.

Julian had the day off work, and so he had decided to visit Amy. He hadn't bothered calling first, and when he reached the clinic he was let in by a nurse who smiled and called him Mayor Lambrick when she said good morning, and it did feel like a good morning as Julian thought of Amy and how much they had in common – his experiences in the asylum would haunt him forever, but he didn't feel so alone with it now, because he and Amy shared so much in common. He felt sure if they spoke about it often enough, perhaps it would exorcise their demons. Maybe they could help each other... And he had been thinking about the future, too. Amy had nowhere to go, perhaps she would like to come and stay at the house with him and Ozzie and Molly. He had wondered too if she might want to get closer to him, maybe to his spouses, too – all he wanted was to be with her and talk about the past and hug her when she cried, because he knew how bad those memories could get, they shared that. They shared _so_ much in common...

He reached Amy's room and knocked.

There was no reply.

Julian walked in and saw her bed was empty. There was no sign of Amy. The flowers Jax had sent her had lasted a couple of weeks, but now they were replaced with...red roses?

He heard softly spoken voices close by in the corridor and turned back towards the open doorway.

“ _I won't be staying here much longer, Amy. Once the renovations to the house are complete, I'll be moving in...”_

“ _Maybe I'll be well enough to join you,”Amy replied._

“ _I'm living for the day when you can do that!”_

Julian stepped out of the room and into the corridor in time to see Amy wearing a long white nightgown, and she was in the arms of a doctor, who kissed her passionately. As they separated they both turned their heads, sensing they were being watched. Julian stared at the sight of the man who so reminded him of Shepard Lambrick.

“Julian,”Amy said in surprise, “I didn't know you were coming over today!”

Julian's heart was racing as he fought off a wave of panic, recalling the father who had been such a monster. Herbert looked so much like him, he had to take a step back.

“You're Julian?” said Herbert, “I'm your uncle -”

“Right. Okay...and now we've met...” Julian's throat went tight as he took in a breath, “Shit you look like my dad... a lot like him... Amy, I just stopped by to say hi.. I can see you're busy. I'd better go!”

“Wait!” Herbert called to him, “Julian come back here, I want to talk to you!”

But Julian had broken into a run, heading for the exit.

“Just leave him, he needs time,” Amy said.

“He's my only living relative!”

“And eventually, you'll get to know him. He's been through a lot, Herbert.”

He gave a sigh, shaking his head as he thought about his family and their dark past.

“When he does get to know me, he will find out I'm nothing like my brother.”

“I know that,” Amy said with a smile, and she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him again.

She let go with reluctance and Herbert watched as she went into her room, his heart aching for the day when she could be out of this place and they could be together at the house.... That day felt like a long way off, and River was yet to find a combination of agents that would enable her to heal. Until then, she was stuck here, on strong meds, her future uncertain. But at least when the worst was over, she would have a huge surprise... and that surprise was probably waking up around now. Herbert checked his watch. It would be another hour before he went in to join River for the meeting to discuss Ronnie's attempted revival tomorrow.

Herbert took the elevator to the top floor.

Up here, it was quiet. He was the only one who used this part of the building, the former overnight quarters where River used to stay in times of emergency. He had even brought Amy up here, and the luxury of waking beside her had taken his breath away as she opened her eyes and the rising sun shone through the window. But Amy had not known what lie beyond the locked door beside the apartment area, this place had been converted when the building was expanded, there was a private patient's room next door. And although it had not been used for several years, the equipment was still in there...

_Now, there was a patient in there._

_His patient..._

Herbert went into the living quarters and locked the door behind him, then he picked up a document from the table and took a pen from his pocket and walked through to a doorway that was securely locked. He looked down at the document in his hand, then he unlocked the door and went inside.

“Good morning Lily.” he said.

As she turned towards him, Herbert smiled proudly. While he had nothing to do with the conception of this child, he certainly had _everything_ to do with giving her life the second time around...

She had been dead for many years, but held in cryogenic suspension, frozen in time. That had made her as fresh as the day she had died. He had used a combination of his own Re Agent and several of River's agents she had developed with Hugo Strange to bring Lily back from death. He had taken a week in total to revive her, treating her slowly and carefully, her brain function had snapped back and the new heart and lungs were working on their own, thanks to his re Agent, an hour before he set them into her chest. She had healed fast. The Re Agent gave life to any body part, and combined with the other agents already classified as safe for use by River, it was a guarantee the organs would not reject. Her healing process had sped up, too. Now she was alive, although, not quite as Amy remembered her...

“Good morning Herbert,” Lily whispered as she sat there on a chair beside the window, wearing a long night gown. Her hair had once been dark but now it was slightly dry and a shade of pure white. Her eyes were wide and dark, and her skin deathly pale. This was all a consequence of the long time in cryogenic suspension. He had considered giving her new vocal chords, but that would have meant Lily not speaking for a while, and so he had left her with a whisper, purely so she didn't forget how to speak after so long being gone...

“How are you today?” he asked as he joined her and sat down, placing the paperwork on the table.

The little girl looked down at the paper.

“What is that?” she whispered.

He met her ghostly gaze.

“When people come back, they have paperwork to say they have been revived,” he told her, “I have put your name on this, and Mommy's name...” worry reflected in his eyes. Lily was almost five and very bright and articulate, but there was one question he didn't want to ask...

“I am supposed to put a name here for your father,” he said, indicating to the blank space on the paper work, “But as we are in a different place now, where the rules are different, we don't have to match up with the old records from the mainland... do you still want your real Daddy's name on this?”

Lilly thought back, but could only recall his blurred face as she struggled under water before everything went dark. She shook her head.

“ _Daddy was a bad man. He killed me.”_

Herbert caught his breath, looking away as he blinked to clear tears from his vision. Since perfecting a return from death, revived subjects were no longer dangerous, no longer savage as animals. Lily was alive, and she could think and speak and feel – _and_ remember... It broke his heart to think this child's father had murdered her and she still recalled it.

“How do you know you died?” Herbert asked.

She took in a slow, deep breath.

“ _I remember being dead.”_

“Then you don't want his name on this document?”

“No.” she confirmed.

Herbert was nervously toying with his pen. He was glad it wasn't a pencil or it would have snapped by now. He had plans for Amy, plans for Lily, too. He had a house now, it would soon be ready for him – and, he hoped, his family, too...

“You know how I brought you back?”

She nodded.

”And that I gave you life, I gave you this second life?”

She nodded again.

“So...could I please put my name on this document? I would like to be your new father.”

He looked pleadingly at her. Lily looked back at him with her pale, hollow gaze, dark eyes unblinking for a moment, and then she smiled and tapped a finger on the blank space.

“Okay!” she said with a smile.

“Thank you so much, Lily!” Herbert said warmly as he signed the document, then he folded it and left it on the table and got up.

“I know it's boring staying here, but you have to rest, so you can get stronger.”

She nodded.

“When can I see Mommy?” she said in her hushed tone.

“Soon,” Herbert promised her, “Very soon, Lily.”

“I'm hungry.”

“I'll fetch your breakfast,” he told her, then he left the room and went to the kitchen area in the apartment, loaded up a plate and carefully carried a drinking glass back to her room, where he set it down on the table.

She didn't touch the raw meat first, she went straight for the glass of chilled blood, gulping it down and then smiling as it stained her mouth. Herbert guessed this would be the hardest part to explain - that Lily was back, but her diet had dramatically changed...

Julian reached home and sat in the car, still clutching at the wheel as the engine cooled, waiting for the feeling of panic to finally lift. It had been a hell of a shock to see Herbert, who looked so much like his Dad.. of course they were alike, they were twins, but he still hadn't been ready for the shock he felt on seeing Doctor West for the first time...

Julian took in a deep breath:

_He's not your father._

_He's not Shepard!_

_He's a doctor, he's as controversial as Hugo Strange, but he's not a bad person, or River wouldn't be working with him! Oswald wouldn't let him stay here in the city if he was dangerous!_

Julian took another breath.

“ _Get your shit together, Julian!”_ he muttered, then he got out of the car.

He was still feeling shaken up as he headed towards the house. The front door was open and Lucy hurried down the steps to meet him.

“What's the matter, Daddy?” she asked as she looked up at him.

For a moment they stood together in the driveway as he looked down at six year old Lucy, who looked up at him with knowledge in her gaze that went far beyond her years.

“I saw someone today and they reminded me of someone else, and I didn't handle it very well, I had to walk away.”

Lucy reached for his hand, briefly held it and then let go again, sensing all she needed to know.

“You saw Uncle Herbert.”

“Yes, I did.”

Lucy paused for thought.

“Daddy Oz needs to let Herbert stay.”

“I know you sense a lot of things, Lucy – but that decision is up to Oswald.”

Worry filled Lucy's eyes.

“He's not a bad man. I think bad things happened because of something he did, but he didn't plan for it that way. He's a scientist, like Hugo...he just wants to make people alive again. It's his way of helping, but I think it might have gone wrong?”

“It certainly did,” Julian agreed.

But Lucy hadn't finished.

“And Herbert loves Amy. He would die for her, Daddy!”

Lucy had said that so emphatically.

“Why would you say that, Lucy?”

“I can feel it,” Lucy told him sadly, “Please don't be unkind to him.”

Julian looked intently at his gifted daughter.

“What exactly can you see, what's going to happen, Lucy?”

She shook her head,

”I don't know, I can't see everything, I'm just a kid!”

Julian nodded.

“Okay, I know that – I'll talk to Ozzie about Herbert's application for immunity.”

Lucy smiled.

“Thanks, Daddy! I can't wait to play with Lily!”

She grabbed his hand, holding it as they went into the house. Julian closed the front door and looked down at his daughter.

“Who's Lily?”

“My new friend. I dreamed about her last night. She has white hair and she talks with a whisper and she can't eat normal food but she can drink milk, and water. You know the big old house on the hillside that we call the haunted house?”

Julian thought about it.

“Do you mean the old mansion near the woods?”

She nodded.

“That's where she's going to live!”

Julian looked at her in surprise.

“She sounds a little bit... unusual. Are you sure you didn't imagine her?”

“She's real,” Lucy assured him, “You'll meet her soon, everyone will!”

Then she ran off through the house, heading for the garden, because she heard Edward bark as he played on the lawn with Felix.

Meeting up with Oswald was usually a relaxed experience, but Josh kept in mind the fact that the past few weeks had not been easy – there was tension in the household, Cain wasn't right and Oswald was still furious with him. The usual gatherings of the whole family over the weekends had been cancelled – and he still didn't know if Oswald blamed him and Jax for what had happened, even though he had said he knew it was Cain's error. But as soon as he sat down in the study and looked across the desk and Oswald smiled warmly, his fears evaporated.

“I understand you have some good news, you need some time off in the coming months?”

“Yes, Ivy is pregnant and the implant is being transferred to me, sir.”

“So my son in law is going to be a birth father. I'm sure Selina and Ivy are thrilled – I am too, although Ivy is a long time friend and not your wife, you can be sure I will welcome this child as I welcome Maria and Nathan as my grandchildren. I'm very happy to hear this news, Josh. Congratulations.”

Oswald got up and limped around the table and as Josh got up too, he gave him a brief hug.

“You might want to talk to Julian about his experience of carrying an implant – he's very passionate about promoting the use of birthing units and I know he would love to help. But, back to business...” Oswald crossed the room, opened up a drawer and took out some paperwork and then returned to his desk.

“It makes no difference that you are family, you are still in my employment and we have to do this properly...” he began to read, _“Upon informing your employer of your pregnancy, all duties considered too dangerous will be delegated to others. From the day of implantation the birth mother/father must accept removal from front line duties. Your work will consist of hours dictated by the working schedule and consist of office or other work. No tasks involving firearms will be handed to you at this time. You are entitled to take_ _time off from the fourth month of pregnancy, or before if your health demands, and you will return to work no earlier than six to eight months after the birth of your child, during this time you will receive full pay...”_ Oswald paused, glancing up at Josh, “I don't like to say this bit, but these rules for people carrying birthing units are very carefully laid out and cover everything. Hopefully this part will never apply, but all the same, I have to read it: _If you suffer a miscarriage and the unit enables the pregnancy to continue, you will be on leave for the duration of the remainder of gestation and for six to eight months afterwards. If the unit is lost and the baby does not survive, you will have six months leave and all counselling and other needs will be handled via sources provided by your employer. If your child is stillborn, you will be granted six months paid leave and all above mentioned resources will be accessible free of charge to yourself.”_ Oswald turned the page, “Depressing stuff I know, but the rules have to cover every possibility. It was Julian who helped to lay all this down to make sure those carrying birthing units get a fair deal in every outcome. This is for you,” he handed him the information, “And as soon as you're implanted, I will change your working schedule and tasks to be appropriately safe for your condition,” he said, then he smiled.

“Is there anything else I need to know?” Josh asked.

Oswald paused for thought.

“Ozzie might be a nice middle name, if it's a boy!” he said warmly.

“Thanks, Oswald.”

“One more thing,” he added, “During your time working for me while you carry the implant, if any members of my staff use any derogatory or offensive names for you, let me know.”

“Names?” asked Josh.

“Most people welcome the idea of birthing units,” Oswald explained “It can enable men to carry babies and help women with fertility issues. But, there's a small element of people out there who obsess over the idea that implants break the rules of nature, believing men have no right to carry a baby – I sincerely hope no one who works for me feels that way. If they did, they would be dismissed on the spot, I won't tolerate any kind of bullying or prejudice – but some people do make comments, like _Mommy man_ or _birthing bitch -_ ”

He stopped right there as Josh looked at him in alarm.

“People actually say those things?”

“Julian was doing a discussion on local radio a couple of months back about male birth and several people who called in said they have been subjected to this kind of hatred. As I said, I wouldn't like to think anyone in my employment thinks in that way, but if any one ever says anything hateful, you must report it, Josh.”

“Yes, I will, Oswald.”

Now the serious stuff was over, Oswald smiled again.

“I'm thrilled for your good news, Josh! I want you to remember we are family, and I am here for you and so are Molly and Julian, and I know the kids will be thrilled to know there's another baby on the way. I wish you all the best with the pregnancy, and I'll be sure to send some flowers over to the house to congratulate Ivy and Selina too, for your future arrival.”

“Thanks, Oswald.”

Oswald warmly shook his hand, then Josh left. Just as Oswald was heading for the door he turned back to his desk, snatching up his phone as it rang. He saw it was Jim Gordon's number and felt mildly surprised, what could the GCPD want so early in the morning?

“Hello James, old friend,” Oswald said with a smile, “Good morning, how are you today? I trust all is well at the police department?”

What Jim said next wiped the smile from his face.

“Oswald, I'm afraid it's bad news. I understand a drug dealer named Izak Coffinwood recently had a warehouse torched, and several employees were gunned down... it's rumoured to be gang related but every contact we've reached has denied involvement.”

Oswald thought of Cain's terrible decision as his guts went tight. _Whatever was happening with this, he would protect his son..._

“What does this have to do with me, Jim?”

“Word is, Coffinwood is the son of Bane. If you had anything to do with the fire, I wouldn't blame you but, fifteen people were killed and Coffinwood is missing.”

“And what of it?” Oswald's voice had grown tense.

What Jim said next was unexpected.

“It was a floating case that no one really called about, one more scumbag dealer shut down, a ton of shit taken off the streets, unlicensed dealers with no underworld approval are the worst kind of filth,” Jim replied honestly, “But there's been a major incident happen over the past twenty four hours... more than ten people have wound up dead and many more have been detained suffering from violent and dangerous delusions... all of these people had bought hallucinogenics from Coffinwood and have taken them over the past few weeks. He was selling a bad batch, the toxicity is so lethal that more than fifty percent of those who took it on a regular basis ended up dead. The stuff takes more than three weeks to build up to cause damage, then it doesn't leave the system. It causes terrible damage to the brain and some of the survivors will never have a normal life again. So whoever burned that warehouse and torched his stock did the city a huge favour.”

Oswald smiled as a crafty gleam came to his eyes.

“Actually Jim, it was _me!_ I gave the order because Coffinwood was working outside of underworld authority and that in itself was a threat. He was very aggressive to my son and so I decided to put an end to his mischief once and for all. I was going to inform the GCPD but you can consider my formal announcement as of this moment, it was an act to protect the city, and of course, my people shall be only too happy to assist our brothers and sisters at the GCPD in finding Coffinwood. And yes of course I detest him, I try not to hate anyone for their blood but Izak is an exception. He's Bane's son! I hope if your people find him first, deadly force is employed. I shall certainly be instructing my men to shoot to kill.”

“And that's your right,” Jim replied, “Long live the unity pact. Now I'd better get to work.”

“I'll have General Sterling send some men over to assist you,” Oswald replied, “You can count on me, Jim, we're all on the same side.”

Then as the call ended, Oswald breathed a huge sigh of relief : Finally, he didn't have to worry about consequence for Cain's actions, thanks to circumstance he was now able to claim responsibility for the warehouse, knowing the GCPD approved. But it didn't make him any less angry with Cain, who had taken an incredibly stupid risk, and for what? To show the Cobblepots were powerful? He shook his head as he thought of his son. Cain would _never_ get a chance to have a say in underworld decisions again, his mind was made up now...

The meeting to discuss reviving Ronnie was over. Tomorrow, they would attempt to bring her back. Herbert didn't doubt River would have some degree of success, but how much could be considered a success when Ronnie's brain was a fraction cyborg was in question. Certainly, her personality would change. She would be less human, more robotic in her personality, she would look human, but lack most of her old traits and he doubted if she would have much emotion. But she would live... hopefully. _If_ it worked...

And now seemed like a good time, while River was working a later shift, to go and visit Amy. Now Ronnie's revival was scheduled, he was thankful River had handed him the task of researching the agents needed to heal Amy. River had so far had no success, but Herbert had silently vowed to work on this and never give up. He had to do something to help her, she wouldn't stay stable forever and River's only plan if her condition worsened was to perform the same injections direct into brain tissue that had saved Julian a few years before. But Amy's case wasn't like Julian's. If they had to do this to Amy, it would buy her days, not months or years...

As Herbert approached the door to her room, he had already decided today would be the day to tell her the news that her daughter was back. Lily had been asking for her mother constantly. He couldn't keep the two of them apart any longer. Right now, Lilly was hidden away on the top floor, alone in her room and resting. Soon she would be reunited with Amy, and when she was, he hoped Amy would be overjoyed that he had given her daughter life. He also hoped she would understand when she saw he had altered her revival certificate, stating he was now her father...

He had much he planned to say, but as he entered the room, he quickly closed the door behind him, overtaken by desire at the sight of Amy on the bed, her gown up to her hips as her fingers rubbed between her legs and she gave a sigh of longing.

“I'm aching again... “

“In a good way, again?” he said softly as he sat on the edge of the bed and their eyes met.

“You know what I mean, Herbert. Ever since you gave me that shot I'm turned on so fucking much! Swear I'm so horny the swelling never got chance to go down after that needle...”

“At least we know it's healed well,” he added, “I've checked you there enough times... let me help you, Amy...”

He gently brushed her hand aside, then he slid two fingers down into hot wetness as he began to rub gently but firmly.

“You like that?”

She gave a groan as she thrust her hips upward.

“Promise me you'll always make me come...”

“Always,” he whispered as he looked from her face to her parted legs, as his fingertips became shiny with her fluid, “I'll make you come every day when we leave this place, every single day of your life, Amy...”

She gave a gasp and as the orgasm hit he slid his fingers inside her, feeling her walls contract. He watched every pulse of her body as wetness spilled out, then he withdrew his fingers as she gave a sigh of contentment.

“Want me to suck you off, Herbert?”

He chuckled.

“You say the most romantic things, Amy! No, not at this moment! I came here to tell you something important... you might want to sit up and get your breath back first.”

“What's this about?”

As she sat up he lowered her gown, then he paused for thought.

“I have something to tell you and it will be a shock.”

She blinked.

“What the fuck is going on? Is this bad news, is this about my treatment? Am I going to die?”

“ _No!”_

Herbert reached for her hand, holding it firmly as he looked at her, “No Amy, I won't let you die! I'm now working on the drugs needed for your treatment, finding the right ones. It's not much longer to wait until I have a breakthrough.”

“So what is this about?”

“Come with me,” he said, “I want you to meet someone.”

Amy got off the bed, still holding on to Herbert's hand.

“Who am I meeting?”

“You'll see,” he replied, “But we have to go to the top floor.”

Amy shot him a confused glance as he led her from the room.

All the way up to the top floor, Amy said nothing as the elevator went on climbing. Herbert kept hold of her hand, when the doors opened they left together and he led her up the corridor towards the place where he had been living since River had given him accommodation.

“It's close by,” he told her, “I have to keep the door locked, but she's been contained for too long, she's recovered now, and she needs to see you again.”

He smiled as he unlocked the door.

Amy hesitated.

“ _Who_ are we talking about?”

“This way,” was all he said in reply, leading her by the hand down a short corridor. They stopped outside a closed door and as he looked at her, she was confused.

“What's going on, Herbert?” she demanded.

“I was able to use a small amount of my own Re Agent, combined with safety approved drugs used by River, developed by Hugo Strange” he explained, “And she was fresh as the day she died thanks to the freezing process. She's alive, she's well... she needed a new heart and lungs, partly due to how she died and partly because of the preservation process. The freezing has turned her hair white and she speaks in a whisper. Her skin is pale and she feels a little cool to touch, and she sometimes takes big breaths between speaking. But she's here, and she's going to be fine. The revival process has altered her body internally – she can only eat raw meat and she needs to drink blood – animal blood, of course. But she can also drink water and milk and eventually she will be able to accept other dairy products, it's just a case of getting her to try more of them, but most regular foods won't agree with her. But she _will_ thrive, Amy!”

Herbert's eyes shone with joy.

Amy was utterly confused.

“Who are you talking about?” she said in a hushed voice.

He took hold of both her hands as he looked into her eyes.

“I love you, Amy! And I wanted to help, so I brought her back! When said I wanted to give life to your child, I meant the one who died. So I did it! I brought Lilly back!”

Amy pulled away from his grip as her eyes went wide and her face paled. She gave a gasp.

”You... you brought her back?”

As she said that, she recalled all she had heard about the past of Doctor Herbert West.

“ _She's not... no, no, please don't tell me she's a z... she's a zom....”_ Amy couldn't bring herself to say the word.

His eyes widened.

“No, she's not a zombie!” he exclaimed, “I just explained, Amy – I used several agents to revive her! She's fine. She just wants her mother!”

Amy was shaking as she looked from the closed door to Herbert.

“She's really in there, my Lily is in there and she's _alive?_ ”

“ _Yes!”_

She grabbed the handle and turned it and rushed into the room.

Lily got up from the chair and walked over to her mother and looked up at her. Amy was staring down at her child, her skin was pale and her hair was a shock of white, but she recognised her.

_It really was Lily._

_She was alive..._

“Hello Mommy, I've missed you so much!” Lily whispered, and as she opened her arms for a hug, Amy gave a sob and fell to her knees, wrapping her arms around her daughter and hugging her tightly.

“ _I've missed you so much, I love you so much!”_ she wept as she held her. Tears were still running down her face as she clutched at her child who she had once thought lost forever as she looked up to see Herbert standing over them.

“Thank you!” she said tearfully, and then she carried on hugging Lily as Herbert stood there waiting for the reunion to be over, because he wanted to show her the paperwork, and he wanted to explain why he had listed himself as Lily's father. He wanted to be her father and he also wanted Amy to be his wife... He had bought a ring, it was in a box in his pocket and he wanted to tell her the rest but Amy was still clutching her daughter as the two of them hugged and he didn't want to break the moment.

Then he didn't have to. Lilly let go of her mother and smiled as Amy wiped her eyes.

“It's okay, Mommy,” she whispered, and then she smiled again, “I'm okay now. And Herbert wants to be my Daddy!”

“What?”

She looked up at Herbert, who went over to the table and picked up the paperwork. As he handed it to her, he started to explain.

“I want to show my dedication to both of you. I love you, Amy! And I gave her life – the second time around, but I still gave Lily life, so surely I can register myself as her father, in her second lifetime – Gotham city have their own records, they don't have to correspond with mainland files. I can be accepted as father to your daughter if you agree to this. And more than that, I want to do something else.”

Amy had got up from the floor. She was still getting over the shock that Lily was alive, it was wonderful, but still a shock – and as Herbert took the box from his pocket and opened it up and the diamond caught the light, she started to smile.

“Marry me?” he asked.

Amy didn't say a word, instead she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him, then she hugged him and as she whispered softly in his ear, he smiled as he blinked away tears of joy. Lily looked on, then she spoke up, but they didn't hear her quiet voice, so she grabbed at Herbert's white coat and gave it a tug. He and Amy both looked down at her.

“Can I call you Daddy Herbert?” she whispered.

He looked at Amy, who smiled.

“I like that,” she said.

“Yes, you may!” Herbert told her warmly, then he slipped the ring on Amy's finger and took her by the hand as the little cold grasp of Lilly grabbed at his other hand.

“We need to tell River what's happened,” he said, and as he led them out of the room, he kept silent about his fears:

River would either be understanding, or she would be furious. He had brought Lily back and proved his love to Amy, but it wouldn't stop River from reporting him for breaking the rules of their agreement if she wanted to, and that could land him in jail here in Gotham and then, possibly shipped back to the mainland, where he would spend the rest of his life behind bars... It had been a huge gamble and not one he had ever planned on taking when he had arrived in this city, but he loved Amy and the gamble was worth it no matter how this turned out now...


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

_It had been quite a shock._

River had listened to all Herbert and Amy had to say, and she had spoken to little Lily and been quietly impressed at Herbert's ability to bring her back so well after her being so long gone, but kept the rest back until Lily was resting in bed, in the same room as Amy so the two of them could be together, and then she had looked at Lily's notes and arranged for her dietary needs to be met, and then she had told Amy to rest because she needed to speak to Herbert, as they had work to do.

River didn't say a word as she led Herbert into her office, and she closed the door quietly behind them and all the while Herbert was getting an uneasy feeling. He was right to be uneasy, because that was when River turned to him and regarded him coldly.

“So, you brought back a child who has been dead for more than ten years – there are rules forbidding revival after ten years has elapsed, in case of decomposition.”

“Which doesn't count in her case, the cryogenic process cancels out the risk – and that brings the cryogenic preservation clause into effect,” Herbert pointed out, “I haven't broken revival laws.”

River went to her desk and pulled out a chair but did not sit down, instead she leaned on the desk, looking accusingly at Herbert as he looked back at her in confusion.

“You signed a safety assurance clause that stated you would _not_ be reanimating bodies or body parts whilst working here!”

“Now that's where it gets complicated,” Herbert replied, “Because I'm working on bringing back Ronnie Collins – that's reviving a body!”

“I meant,” she said with a frustrated sigh, “Other bodies _not_ including Ronnie Collins!”

“But it doesn't say that on the paperwork I signed,” Herbert reminded her, “And I really don't see how anyone can object to me restoring life to a small child who died so tragically. And I love Amy very much, River! Giving her daughter life was the most precious gift I could give!”

In that moment as she leaned on her desk, she looked much like her mother as River's cold gaze mirrored the look of an angry Fish Mooney.

“I get that you love Amy and want to marry her and you brought her child back to life, but I also get why you're really doing all this,” she said in a low voice.

Herbert stared at her.

“What do you mean? I have no other reason but to make the one I love happy!”

River's eyes narrowed as she leaned on the desk, glaring across it at him as she tapped a fingertip on the table, gathering her thoughts, then she related the facts as she saw them to be:

“Herbert, I'll give you this much: You brought back a child preserved shortly after death who had been a long time in cryogenic preservation. You used the correct approved formulas and a small amount of your own Re Agent, a very small amount within safe limits, and it was highly successful. But you _didn't_ ask permission. And you haven't thought about the bigger picture here. If Amy dies, what becomes of Lily?”

He flinched visibly on hearing a reminder of just how sick his Amy was, but River continued:

“I guess, as she wants to alter the truth and list you as Lily's father -”

“I am her father in this second lifetime, I gave her life back!”

“That aside,” River said in a slow measured tone that her mother might have used years back before ordering a gangland killing, “As she wants you to become Lily's father, it means Lily would go to you if Amy died. And then she would live with you in the house you recently purchased that's currently being renovated but Herbert, what if my father doesn't give you permission to stay? What if the three months go by and he decides he doesn't trust you, with your previous convictions, to stay in Gotham and _not_ mess around with reviving corpses like you did on the mainland? I get why he's uncertain. But if he doesn't sign those papers, mainland authorities will come for you when your temporary permit of residence runs out. Then you're away from the city, in jail for the rest of your life and _where_ does that leave Lily?”

Herbert struggled to keep his emotions in check as he looked back at River, who glared at him so accusingly. This had gone from being the happiest day of his life to one of the worst...

“I have no doubt your father will grant me immunity from prosecution! I'm working on revving his agent Ronnie Collins, I'm working with you – he must know he can trust me! And I have bought a property here in Gotham, I now have a fiancée and a child to support, a child who will need the love and support of both her parents. And don't talk to me about _if Amy dies_ , she won't! She's strong and has everything to live for!”

River looked at him in disbelief.

“I'm stunned a man who has dedicated almost forty years of his life to science could be so blinded by love. Look at the facts, Herbert! Even if we find suitable agents to heal Amy, she still needs tissue from a live donor and that's going to be a huge problem because I can't think of anyone willing to have a piece of their brain sliced out, with all the risks associated, to save someone they don't know!”

“I'm working on that,” Herbert told her firmly, “I won't give up on Amy, don't underestimate how far I'd go for her!”

River looked at him for a moment, thinking on all she knew about Herbert West, the man responsible for such death and chaos, all in the name of his research. It had spanned more than three decades, death seemed to follow him everywhere due to the results of his experiments when all he claimed to be doing was beating death and creating life... _And she reached a conclusion._

“You know what I think is _really_ happening here? I think you're a scheming son of a bitch who will do _anything_ to get permission to stay here in Gotham, where you'll be safe from outside authorities that want to drag your ass back to jail! I think you've got yourself a fiancée and a child and even a home to go to, making it all convenient - you know my Dad is a family man, he won't want to break a family up, not when he realises you have a sick fiancée _and_ you kindly revived her dead daughter, who now has physical differences that will need support. That's nice and neat for you to get your paperwork stamped. I think you know Amy's going to die, and of course you won't mind raising that little girl - as you said, you gave her life. _She's one of your experiments now!_ ”

Herbert's eyes went wide.

“How dare you suggest -”

“I'm not suggesting, I _know_ its true. _You're using a sick woman and her recently revived child to ensure you get to stay in the city, to keep you out of jail!_ ”

“ _That's not true, I love Amy!”_

He paused, took off his glasses and cleaned the lens as he tried not to lose his temper.

“You're wrong, River. I understand why you would mistrust me, but it isn't like that. _You're completely wrong._ ”

He put his glasses back on and looked hard at her, then he turned away and left the room.

River gave a heavy sigh. She knew how it looked, and her Dad would have to be told about Lily's revival, and Herbert altering her paperwork, too. On the surface, given his past history it did look like Herbert was setting this up to guarantee residence in Gotham. He knew when his three month permission to stay ran out, mainland cops would be over the border to take him back in handcuffs and he would spend the rest of his days in a maximum security prison... She wanted to be wrong, but she could only see it as the facts seemed to lay out. _She picked up the phone and called Oswald._

Back at the mansion, while Oswald was taking the call from his daughter in the study, Molly and Julian were in the garden as Julian sat baby Gertie on his lap and she squealed with delight as she pointed at butterflies that flitted about a nearby flower bed. Julian was talking softly to his daughter, but Molly was silent. She had searched Cain's room and found nothing. If he was using drugs, he wasn't hiding them in the house. Maybe he kept them with him...

And something else had happened to worry her. Josh had called to say his appointment to have the fertility unit transferred had been delayed by three days because the hospital was dealing with a huge emergency – now there were many drug users falling ill, who had taken Izak's drugs.

And Molly was worried sick.

_Cain had been to see Izak._

_What if...?_

_No, it was too frightening to think about._

_Cain wouldn't have been that stupid, would he?_

Surely, if he wanted to take drugs to dull out the pain of his loss, he would go to someone trusted for his supply. Someone who had been messing with slightly milder stuff for years... At that point, she was so afraid for her son, that if it was drugs, she _wanted_ to know they had come from Ed, he was always careful about his supplier... She turned her head and looked at Julian. He was smiling down at Gertie as she watched the butterflies, and Molly knew in a heartbeat she needed to share her worry with him and not Ozzie, who would fly into such a rage at the thought that he would have Ed by the throat at the mere suggestion...

“Julian.”

He glanced at her and noticed the worried look on her face at once.

“What's up, Molly?”

She shook her head.

“Nothing – I hope. I want to be wrong about this. But I'm convinced it's more than grief that's making Cain believe he can see Ronnie.”

Julian hesitated.

“I get what you mean, Molly. He does look out of it sometimes. But, grief can make people crazy. I can't ask him about it, he's so closed up these days.”

“I was thinking, I might meet up with Ed Nygma, ask him if he knows anything about it. If he's given anything to Cain, I'm not saying I won't be furious but I'd rather it was from Ed than the shite that's been killing people from Coffinwood's batch.”

Julian nodded.

“Ed's been a junkie for years. But he's alive and he's working for Ozzie, if he didn't let himself get led by his dick so much, maybe his marriage would be okay. The only thing that's ever fucked him up is cheating on Lee. The pills have never seemed to harm him. I know Ed once told me he used to take pills so he could hallucinate and see Oswald, after the shooting incident. He's been on and off those things for years, he said he does it for the escape. But he can stop and start any time he likes, they're old school, mild hits, designed to have no withdrawal effects. He definitely wouldn't try anything like the strength Coffinwood was selling. Even before the bad batch hit the streets people were saying Izak was selling pure poison, I had a message from the GCPD at the mayor's office about it. They were cracking down on all non underworld authorised dealers and they said they considered him high risk.”

Molly raised an eyebrow.

“Ozzie knew about this?”

“I guess so.”

“And he was willing to negotiate with him?”

“Ozzie said to me he would have had conditions to Izak's trading. One of them being no more of the strong shit, no class A's either.”

“Izak wouldn't have stuck to that,” Molly said as she got up, “It's a good thing Jax and Josh torched that warehouse. I'm going out, I'm going over to the office to see Ed.”

Then she got up and walked away as Julian remained where he sat, turning his attention to his happy baby girl and the butterflies that fascinated her.

Upstairs, Luna stood in the doorway, fascinated and slightly uneasy at the sight of her big brother standing alone by the window, talking intently to someone who wasn't there.

“I know that, Ronnie, but he said I can't make any more decisions. Dad said I can't have a say in running the underworld any more...”

He paused.

“Yes, I know that – but he just can't see it, he can't see how right it is, the changes I want to make -”

He stopped, turning his head slowly as Luna gave a gasp.

“What do you want, sis?” he asked

“I was just packing a bag, I'm staying with Mama Fish over the weekend and I heard you talking... I'd better leave you to it.”

She turned away. He hurried after her, grabbing at her arm and turning her back to him sharply. Luna felt another flicker of unease, and this time it was stronger. Ronnie's eyes were wide and dark, pupils dilated and he was breaking into a sweat.

“Let go or I'm calling Mom!”

“Mom just left, we saw her drive off two minutes ago!”

“ _We?”_

As Luna stood there and the sequins that dotted the neckline of her blouse caught the light, she looked a lot like her mother. Luna was a young teen now, and her taste in clothing was starting to match Fish, who she saw every weekend, and sometimes, she slept over in the middle of the week, too. Molly had always been generous with the time Luna spent with her birth mother, and at that moment, Molly or Fish could have stepped in – had they been home. But Luna was alone on the upper level of the house with her brother, and suddenly, she didn't feel too comfortable around Cain any more. He just didn't seem... _right._

“You'll tell Mom what, that you're too fucking rude to say Hi to my girlfriend?”

Luna blinked, looking abut the empty room as Cain let go of her arm.

“You mean Ronnie? She's in the clinic, her body is in the morgue, River's going to try and bring her back tomorrow! She's not here, Cain!”

He smiled as his eyes sparkled just like a young, bemused Oswald.

“Oh sis, you just have _look_ for her! She's here, look again, look closely!”

Luna looked about the room and shook her head.

“Sorry, Cain. I can't see her. Is she... _hiding?_ ”

Cain huffed, then swept a hand about the empty room.

“Look _properly_ , Luna! Now, do you see Ronnie?”

 _Luna could not see Ronnie_.

And she wanted to back away from Cain, who was clearly going crazy. Ronnie wasn't in this room with him, she was lying dead in the morgue where she had been for months since the Shadow Lady's attack had killed her...

Cain was glaring at her. She took a step back, then looked to the empty space at the window where Cain had been in conversation with himself.

”Oh, yeah... I see her now! Hi, Ronnie!”

She forced a smile.

Cain smiled too as he looked to the window and then at his sister.

“Want to come in and join us? We could have a chat, Ronnie wants to catch up with you, she's not seen you for a while.”

Luna thought fast.

“I would love to, but I need to grab my bags, Fish is coming over to pick me up very soon, I've got to go. Bye, you... _two_...”

She hurried away down the upper hall, keen to grab her bags and go downstairs where her Dad was in his study and Julian was in the garden with Gertie. She didn't want to spend another moment up here...

Luna went into her room and grabbed her overnight bag, then she hurried back down the hall, feeling a wave of relief to see her brother's door was now closed. She went downstairs and wanted to talk to her Dad about how weird Cain was behaving, but she heard him in the study, talking loudly on the phone and he didn't sound in the greatest of moods, so instead she made for the front door then stood outside, waiting for Fish to arrive.

Oswald had just head the news from River. He was still on the phone to his daughter, thinking on all she had just told him.

“I don't know what to make of West,” he said honestly, “But buying a property assuming I will allow him to stay was _not_ a wise decision. I understand why it seems as it does, he's bought this mansion house and it's being renovated, he's assuming he can stay, and why – because he's engaged to Amy and he's revived her daughter? It does seem to be a lot of bold moves for a man who has no official assurance that he will be protected from prosecution...”

He gave a heavy sigh, then paused to glance down at the newspaper reports that had been sent over from the mainland of corpses on a bloody murder rampage, of the deaths that spanned several decades. It was a huge gamble, keeping someone so potentially dangerous in the city, even though West's crimes had happened years before and he had since served time in jail and then escaped and spent several years on the run. During that time, there had no more incidents reported. Maybe this was an indication that he had changed. But buying the house and getting close to Amy, reviving her late daughter and scheming to become her father and then proposing marriage... it did all look to be as River saw it.

“I will write to Mr West at a later date,” Oswald said as tension filled his voice, “For now, a phone call will suffice – I will be calling him today, making my feelings on his choice to buy a mansion in this city when he's a mere visitor crystal clear!”

River spoke again.

“But remember I could be wrong, Dad. I know what I _think_ he's up to, but I don't have proof, and he is Julian's uncle -”

“River, you did the right thing to tell me,” Oswald replied, “As for Julian, he met him once when he visited Amy and he reminded him so much of his late father, Julian had to make excuses and leave. I really don't think the two of them will ever form any kind of family bond. Leave it with me, I will speak to Doctor West.”

He ended the call and sat there deep in thought. Then he searched through the file on West that included paperwork signed by River, allowing him three months stay in the city and temporary immunity from mainland authorities. He found his cell phone number and made the call.

The phone rang a few times and Herbert picked up.

“Hello...”

“This is Oswald Cobblepot.”

“Mr Cobblepot! I've been waiting for this call -”

“I'm sure you have,” Oswald said sharply, “I also understand you've purchased a mansion house here in Gotham _and_ you've become engaged to Amy, who is very sick, who may not recover – and you've also unofficially adopted her daughter – a child revived from death by yourself with _no_ formal permission!”

“No laws were broken,” Herbert assured him, “Lily was cryogencially frozen, subjects who are frozen can be revived after an unlimited time lapse. I didn't have to ask, I have the qualifications to perform the procedure. And I wanted it give her life – she was murdered by her biological father, she's a child, she deserves to have her life back!”

Oswald gave a heavy sigh. West certainly sounded like he meant every word he said...

“But you altered her paperwork, Herbert.”

“Alteration of paperwork isn't illegal!” Herbert said firmly, “I read up on the laws here, it's nothing like the mainland! I can call myself her father, I gave her life, the definition of father doesn't specify the word _biological_ in your city!”

“That is true,” Oswald agreed, “But you must understand how this looks, Herbert - you purchased a property assuming I would let you stay and set about getting yourself a family, not only that, but you are engaged to a patient of River's, a patient whose case _you_ are working on! And that woman, at this time in absence of a cure, is terminally ill, Doctor West!”

“I have no need to claim a right to protection using Amy or Lily - because I have family here, your husband Julian! I'm his uncle, Mr Cobblepot!”

“And Julian isn't sure if he ever wants to see you again,” Oswald replied, “You remind him of his father.”

“ _Of course I resemble Shepard, I'm a twin!”_

“I am yet to make a formal decision,” Oswald said, “When your three month permit runs out -”

“I _love_ Amy! I don't think you understand -”

“I'm speaking, Doctor West!”

“ _And I'm trying to tell you -”_

“ _DOCTOR WEST! I AM SPEAKING!”_ Oswald yelled.

Herbert fell silent.

Oswald drew in a slow breath as he tried to contain his anger, then spoke again:

“This is what will happen. And it's _not_ negotiable! _If_ I decide you can stay, you will receive a letter stating you have permission to reside in this city and you also have the protection of the underworld, granting immunity from mainland authority. This means you must remain in Gotham for the rest of your life and no outside authority has the power to arrest you or take you back over the border to complete any jail sentence that stands on their soil. However, _if_ I decide you can not stay, I will write to you outlining the reason for my decision. I'm fully aware of your past. But I'm also aware that you are working on restoring life to Ronnie Collins. I know you are trying to find a way to help Amy and I am aware that a child is now involved, a child who needs her mother and ideally, a loving father too. Assuming your relationship with Amy is genuine, she has been granted indefinite stay here. Her daughter has been revived on Gotham soil so her place of rebirth is this city. I understand the mansion you purchased is undergoing renovation?”

“Yes, it should be ready any day now.”

“And does that property have suitable accommodation for Lily?”

“Yes, of course it does!” Herbert said in surprise, “It's a five bedroom mansion, I've had all of it renovated and the second largest bedroom is being decorated for her, I arranged that over the phone today.”

“And I'm assuming you want to marry Amy?”

Warmth crept into Herbert's voice.

“I will marry Amy as soon as she is recovered. I don't doubt she will survive long enough to receive a cure, she's strong, she's a fighter!”

Oswald had picked up on that, there was a rush of intensity in his reply that came along with so many other emotions Doctor West could not hide as he spoke about Amy. It certainly gave room for doubt. On the surface, it did look as if he was using her to increase his chance of staying here in the city, but Oswald was starting to get the feeling that quite possibly, Herbert _did_ love Amy and his motives were not selfish...

“If I deny you permission to stay, I will allow you to keep the house as security for Amy and Lily,” Oswald replied, “But if you are refused, you will be leaving this city in handcuffs and returning to jail on the mainland. If it comes to that, you can be sure Amy and Lily - assuming Amy is still alive - will have the security of living in your home. And Amy can still marry you in jail, Doctor West. Should there come a time when you are released, you would be allowed to return to the city to live here with your wife and child. That is what will happen if I refuse you permission to stay - but as I said, my mind is not yet made up.”

Herbert sounded tense as he spoke again.

“Mr Cobblepot, if they took me back to the mainland, I would _never_ get out of jail again! I was serving a life sentence!”

“I'm aware of that, Herbert,” Oswald said quietly, as his gaze shifted to the reports of the corpses and their bloody rampage, then he pushed the papers aside, “I know what jail can be like... I know how it feels to lose hope. But I'm yet to make a decision.”

“Please, I just want the letter from you, I need to stay here, not just for me, it's not just about me any more – I didn't know I was going to fall in love with Amy! But it happened, these things can't be planned for! I understand why River would see it as she did, but it isn't like that! I really do love Amy and I want to be with her, I want to marry her and be a father to Lily. I can't be a father to her miles away locked in a cell!”

Every word Herbert had said made complete sense to Oswald, but he wasn't ready to make a formal decision yet, not without a great deal of thought.

“I will be in touch with you when I've made up my mind,” he told him, “And by the way, good luck for tomorrow. We're all hoping you and River can succeed in bringing Ronnie back to us.”

“I hope so too, Mr Cobblepot,” Herbert said, and then Oswald thanked him for his time and ended the call.

His gaze drifted back to those old news stories about the bloody mess of dead bodies and reanimated corpses as he thought about West's situation and shook his head. He still wasn't sure how to handle this he wasn't sure if he could allow someone with a past like Herbert West to stay in this city indefinitely...

Molly had arrived at the office of Ed Nygma, now reinstated as spokesperson representing the underworld to the Gotham press. She walked into his office to find him at his desk with a big smile on his face.

“Molly!” he said brightly as he rose from his seat and walked over to meet with her, “What can I do for you?” he paused to glance to the large window that showed a view of the city stretching out past the river, “It's a great day, isn't it? I love getting to work early to see the city come alive! I'm about to start work on a response to questions being asked about this being Julian's last term as mayor – why isn't he standing for election again? Can't you talk him into it, the city loves him!”

“He's done a few years working at the top and now he's got Gertie, he wants to be at home to help raise her, he wants to spend more time with all the kids,” Molly replied, “But that's not what I came to see you about.”

“Oh...” Ed looked a little confused, “I thought you might have come here on Julian's behalf to help lay out his official response -”

“No, I'm not here for anything official.”

As Molly stood there in a white vest and tight jeans with her black hair falling to her shoulders, Ed concluded she hadn't changed much over the years – and he also concluded he knew her well enough to know when something was very wrong, he saw it now, a look of deep worry in her green eyes.

“What's this about, Molly?” he asked.

Molly stepped closer to him, and suddenly rage burned in her gaze.

“ _I want the fucking truth from you, Nygma – no lies, no bullshit! Have you given Cain drugs?”_

Ed's gaze became startled.

“Oh dear...”

“You have, I can see it in your face, Edward!” Molly said angrily, “I'm not here to start a fight, I just need to know what's happening – he's sick, and I need to know what he's taken!”

Ed swallowed hard. He had never been great in a fight, not without a gun or some other kind of weapon – and he was well aware Molly could wipe the floor with him if she wanted to. But that wasn't why she was here. She looked at him intently.

“ _Speak.”_

Ed was breaking into a sweat.

“Molly... it's not what you think, I swear! A few months back, Cain came to me and said he remembered I used to take pills so I could hallucinate, see Oswald again – this was after Ozzie and I had a bad falling out -”

“When you shot my husband in the guts and left him for dead in the river, I know about that,” Molly replied angrily, _“Keep talking.”_

“I only gave him a couple of pills, low strength, grade C... and he said he saw Ronnie, he said it was like she was in the room with him. Then he came back a few weeks later and asked me for more - I gave him _one_ more pill and that was all! That was two months ago, he came back to the office and started demanding I give him more - or at least give him the name of my supplier - I couldn't do that, I could see he was grieving and the pills were not helping... and I certainly couldn't give him my supplier's name. I had to stay quiet about that!”

“Why?” Molly demanded.

Ed paused. He felt awkward as he made his confession in a hushed voice.

“Because _I'm_ my supplier. I'm careful what I take and I make it myself. But I rarely use these days... if he's sick, if he's getting fucked up, it's grief over losing Ronnie – and if drugs are involved, it's not come from me, that was too long ago and at the time, I told him there was no way he was getting more from me! I told him to go and see River and ask about grief counselling. He told me to go to hell and stormed out - and that's the truth, I swear on my life, on Lee's life, on my kid's lives! I'm _not_ lying, Molly!”

She sucked in a breath, resisting the urge to slam a fist into his face.

“ _Why did you give my son drugs?”_ she yelled angrily

Ed didn't have to think about his reply.

“Because he's eighteen years old and grieving and if I told him it was a bad idea, he would have gone to someone else, Molly! Maybe some unregulated dealer like Coffinwood! At least if he was going to take my drugs, I knew he would be relatively safe to do so. I was trying to protect him! He's an adult, you can't tell him what to do, he's got his own mind and that leaves him free to make a lot of bad choices on his own!”

Molly nodded slowly.

“I fucking hate this, but I get it,” she replied, “Yeah, you did protect him in a way, Ed – but not enough, he went to someone else and he's on something and it's making him see Ronnie all the time! And he's getting dangerous – Oswald had to withdraw Cain's role in the underworld because he almost started a war. My son is losing his mind and I don't know how to stop this!”

“Maybe he went to Coffinwood,” Ed told her, “I hope he didn't, because it's all around the city about what that bad batch is doing to people – but if he did, if he's taking those pills, he's in serious danger.”

“He went to see Coffinwood before the fire, asking him to meet with Oswald, but he refused. Maybe he gave him the drugs then, I don't know. But Coffinwood's gone to ground, vanished off the face of the earth.”

“Then he's got a hideout somewhere and that probably means he's got more people working for him, too. I know about the warehouse, but that won't be the whole of his organisation gone. You need to find out what Cain's taking. That's the only way to be sure about this and to get him the right help – if it's not too late.”

Molly felt a spike of fear run through her.

“I can't lose him, Ed.”

“Maybe I could talk to him?” Ed suggested, “It can't do any harm to try.”

She nodded.

“Yes, you do that, and soon,” she told him, then she headed for the door.

“I'm happy to help in any way I can, Molly.”

Molly turned back briefly, anger reflecting in her gaze.

“ _Too fucking right you're going to help!”_ she said accusingly, _“You gave my son acid, you wanker!”_

Then she left the office, closing the door heavily behind her.

Luna felt like a grown up, walking into the empty club with Fish, where her mother was going to run through some paperwork before they went home. They crossed the floor and headed for the back room and all the while, Luna didn't say a word. They reached the back room and Fish fixed them both a drink – just lime and soda – and then she sat down with her daughter.

“You're very quiet today, Luna – is everything okay?” she asked.

Luna looked at her and slowly shook her head.

“It's Cain...” she said, and then she started to cry.

Fish hugged her daughter, reassuring her. When Luna had finally calmed down, Fish listened while her daughter told her everything. When she had finished, Fish spoke up.

“You did the right thing to tell me, it sounds like Cain has some serious problems, and I need to talk to Oswald about this,” she told her, then she drew out her cell phone and called Luna's father.

Oswald's phone rang for a while before he answered.

“Cain's been acting crazy and Luna is scared...” Fish began.

Oswald listened, hearing all about how Cain had forced Luna into a conversation with Ronnie, who was clearly not in the room at the time.

“He's going crazy with grief,” Oswald told her.

“It sounds like more than that!” Fish said sharply, “He's hallucinating! He could be dangerous!”

“I'm aware it's getting serious and we are working on a solution. I'll speak to him later, when he comes in. He's gone out, I don't know where he is right now.”

“You'd better do something!” Fish told him, “Cain's out of control, Oswald.”

He gave a heavy sigh.

“We're all worried about Cain. I'll speak to him as soon as he gets home. It's about time I talked some sense into him. And River's attempting to revive Ronnie tomorrow – if it works, surely Cain's grief will evaporate. He just wants to be with her.”

“You'd better talk to him,” Fish warned, “I won't have Luna scared like this again!”

“Neither will I! Of course I will resolve this,” Oswald told her, “Tell Luna not to worry, I'm going to speak to her brother.”

As the call ended, Fish turned to her daughter.

“Your Dad says he's going to handle this,” she told her, “I hope he can – but I think Cain needs more than strong words from Oswald!”

Back at the house, Oswald was still in his study. His mind had been on the matter of Herbert West, but now he closed the file and shoved it aside, feeling weighed down by family worries. He knew Cain was sick, he knew he was losing his mind, but what to do about it was beyond him. He couldn't contemplate sending him to an asylum – it didn't matter how the place had changed over the years, Arkham would forever hold bad memories for him, and he had vowed many years ago that none of his children would ever set foot in the place. As Molly walked in he saw deep worry in her gaze and the look she saw in his eyes instantly told her they both had the same thing on their minds: worry for Cain.

“I think Cain's on drugs, Oswald. You must know it too, you've seen him – and he's acting crazy! We have to do something!”

“I know that, Molly,” Oswald said as he got up and limped around the desk to join her, “I just got a call from Fish – apparently Cain scared Luna this morning, told her to say Hi to Ronnie. Luna had to pretend to be able to see her. She said her own brother scared her. This has to stop now.”

“And we might have to think about putting him in Arkham,” Molly added, leaving out all Ed had told her – it still angered her to think about it, but she got why he had given him the pills. If he had stopped at taking them from Ed, this wouldn't be happening, but she didn't want Ed getting killed by Oswald over it...

“Ed Nygma offered to come over and speak to Cain. I thought it might be a good idea,” Molly told him, “Ed agrees there's something not right about Cain. He thinks...” she paused, drawing in a breath to steady herself, “Oswald, he thinks Cain might have got some pills from Coffinwood. It adds up, Cain went to see Izak, and I think that might have been when he got the drugs...it's a bad batch, people are dying, our son could be next!”

Just then Julian entered the room after returning from the garden and settling his daughter for a nap.

“What's wrong?” he asked, sensing the serious atmosphere.

Molly and Oswald glanced at each other.

“Cain's getting worse. Oswald's going to talk to him when he comes home,” Molly said, “But I don't think that will be enough, Julian. I think we might have to put our son in Arkham, he's sick.”

“I hate to think we would have to resort to that,” Oswald added.

“If he goes into Arkham you'll fuck him up, I know what happened to me when I was committed!” Julian exclaimed.

Molly looked at him, then to her husband, in utter despair.

“Arkham's _not_ like it used to be! Christ almighty, the way you two go on, anyone would think it's still a place where patients get tortured! It's not, it changed years back! Cain needs help and I don't think family support will be enough...” she blinked back tears, “Julian, we think Cain might be on the drugs from Coffinwood's bad batch. It's been killing people and now it looks like it could kill Cain. He needs to be locked up securely where he can't take any more of it!”

Oswald slowly shook his head.

“I'm not putting my son in Arkham.”

“If you do put him in the asylum, he will hate you for it,” Julian added.

Molly shook her head.

“I can't listen to this, Cain needs help, our son could be dying from this and you two are doing nothing about it!”

“But I will,” Oswald said firmly, “I have a plan... When he gets back, we will keep him here at the house until tomorrow, when Ronnie is revived – assuming it goes well. Then he can go and see her, and he will know she's really back, surely that's all he needs?”

“Okay, we'll try that,” Molly said, and then she shot a warning glance to her husband, “But if it doesn't work, if he's still irrational, I'm holding _you_ responsible!”

Oswald's eyes widened as he looked at his wife.

“I'm trying to _help_ him!”

“And if he's taken some of that bad batch, what then?”

“I'll persuade him to let River take some blood, then we can find out what he's on.”

Molly's temper simmered down as she nodded.

“Okay, we'll do it your way. But if it doesn't work, if we can't sort this out your way, I'm having him placed in Arkham where they can treat his mental health _and_ any of that poison that's still in his system, too!”

“ _No you will not!_ ” Oswald said angrily as he glared at her.

Molly matched his glare as fire rose in her eyes.

“ _You and Julian are doing fuck all to help, you're both standing there saying Arkham will destroy his life – he's already doing a fine job of that on his own! I'm not going to watch my son die and do nothing, Oswald! It's your call tomorrow. After that, it's in my hands and you won't stop me!”_

Molly stormed out and slammed the door behind her.

Oswald and Julian exchanged a glance.

“I really hope you're right about this, Ozzie,” Julian said.

Oswald reached for a bottle and poured himself a stiff drink. He never quarrelled with Molly, nothing ever came between them - but it seemed now, their son was doing just that. But his mind was made up, and he wasn't backing down.

“I am right, it will work,” he vowed, _“There can't be another solution. No son of mine will EVER be locked away in Arkham!”_


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

_Cain didn't come home that night._ He called to say he was fine, and staying over at Ronnie's apartment for a while – purely because he missed her. Oswald offered to go over and speak to him. Cain said he wanted time alone. It was as if every time the family tried to step in, he knew when to step back. In his mind, maybe Ronnie was advising him to do that - Ronnie who wasn't even revived yet, his imagined version of her... The family was worried sick. But there was nothing they could do. Cain wasn't stepping out of line, he even claimed Luna had got it wrong and simply saw him saying aloud that he missed Ronnie and wished she was there so he could say Hi to her.

Molly knew Luna had _not_ got it wrong.

For now, Luna would be staying with Fish until the issue with Cain was resolved, because she felt safer away from her brother. That was painful, to know Luna would be away from the house because of Cain's actions. But until Cain stepped out of line again, there was no proof and nothing anyone could do...Ed had called Molly, asking if now was a good time to speak with Cain. Molly had told him to go over to the apartment. Ed replied that he had, with no luck – apparently, no one was home. _Keep trying,_ was all she said as she hung up the call...because she knew Cain would be leaving that apartment at some time today, he knew today was the day River and Herbert were attempting to revive Ronnie...

Ronnie's body was on the table in the treatment room.

River had ensured the procedure was carried out early in the morning just after sunrise when few staff were around, every major procedure that had been required to fix the body had been done over a three week period, the internal damage had been repaired, the cyborg unit was fitted and hidden behind a scar in the side of her head that was still open, slipped into a pocket of semi organic flesh lined with copy cells and wires that fed into the brain. Once the unit was working, River could sew up the scar. It wouldn't be visible, hidden beneath Ronnie's short dark hair. But the scar that snaked down her neck was very visible, a fine pale line, deeper than the facial scar that slashed down her cheek. It had been closed up well and would be barely noticeable. Ronnie's neck had been repaired with bone and more cyborg wiring, and turning her head wouldn't be as natural as it used to be, her speech would be lacking the usual depth of emotion and her gaze would be almost robotic between blinks. River expected her speech to be equally lacking the kind of emotion it used to have, but what mattered was getting Ronnie's body and mind functioning again, then they could see just how much of her personality remained. All they could do was hope for the best. It was a difficult task, and as Herbert added a drop of Re Agent to River's agents, River watched as the green liquid swirled into the clear substance as suddenly, all the copy cells within it were illuminated.

“Show me how you load the machine up,” Herbert said, standing back as River loaded the liquid into a container that she slid into the machine aligned to Ronnie's head where the scar was open. Herbert looked on as River watched the scanner, activating the device as it slid a long needle into the open wound, injecting the substance deep into the brain. As the needle withdrew he took a long, thin object from his pocket and showed it to River.

“For future reference,” he said, “This device can fit on to your machine. It would be perfect for taking tissue from the donor when we treat Amy.”

River was watching the screen as the cells liked and began to rebuild as the cyborg unit was forced into life and Ronnie's body trembled as she took a slow breath and her heart began to beat.

“Herbert, we are working on Ronnie. Can't you keep your mind on the job?”

He put the device away.

“I'm always working, River,” he told her, “And Ronnie will be waking soon. She just took a breath and the brain and cyborg unit have fired up. Her heart is beating. She's alive. It's time to start thinking about _Amy's_ future.”

River turned to him sharply.

“I still need to stitch Ronnie's wound! As for the method of taking donor cells from deep in the brain, I don't know how we can find a willing donor in the first place – your device is untested!”

“I tested its use on ten subjects during research whilst living on the mainland. The risk is low.”

River had started to stitch Ronnie's wound closed.

“How can you be certain of that?”

“There is a small risk but the device, when used in a machine of this quality, cuts the danger to the donor by eighty five percent. I've calculated it. I can show you my notes -”

River pushed the curved needle through Ronnie's wound one more time and tied off the stitch, then turned to Herbert.

“There's still a risk. And no live donor would take that chance!”

Herbert looked back at her defiantly.

“I've also come up with a way to remove the scar tissue in Amy's brain using a keyhole technique. There are agents we can use to identify the scar tissue and wipe out ninety five percent of it! If that was injected, followed by the donor cells plus copy cells and the right healing agents, it would avoid the need to open up her skull. The healing time would be rapid and it would be less traumatic for her.”

River nodded thoughtfully.

“Leave your notes on my desk,” she told him, “We'll discuss it later. But it still doesn't solve the problem of finding a donor.”

Ronnie gave a sigh and turned her head stiffly.

“Ronnie?” River said, “Can you hear me?”

She drew in a breath and let it out slowly, her hand jerked and trembled and then she carried on breathing slow and even. River covered up the wound and then pressed a button as the machinery shifted back away from the patient, then she turned off the monitor.

“Let's get Ronnie back to her room, she won't be awake yet – it's going to take time.”

“And _then_ we can talk about Amy.”

“Yes Herbert,” River replied as together they shifted Ronnie from the table, “Then we can talk about Amy.”

Oswald and Julian had been waiting together down the corridor. It was River who approached them after Ronnie was taken to her room, and she smiled as she looked at her father and his husband.

“Ronnie's revived. The procedure worked, but she's still sleeping, it could be a few days before she's properly awake, the cyborg unit needs to work in harmony with the organic matter and that takes time. But Ronnie is back with us.”

Oswald breathed a relieved sigh as he got up and smiled warmly at his daughter.

“Thank you so much, River! I know Cain will be overjoyed.”

Julian got up too and as he rose from his seat, River looked about the corridor.

“Where is Cain, I thought he would be here?”

“Cain's over at Ronnie's apartment,” Julian replied, “I called him this morning and told him today was the big day, but he said he would call the clinic later. He doesn't seem to believe it's actually happening.”

“Maybe I should go over and talk to him after work?” River suggested.

“No,” Oswald told her, “I'll send Josh over to speak to him.”

“Isn't he getting implanted with Ivy's fertility unit tomorrow?” River asked.

“That's tomorrow,” Oswald told her, “He's on duty today. Maybe speaking to my younger General might put some sense into my son. Cain hasn't been himself lately and I really don't know how much of it is grief and how much is substance abuse.”

“I'd help my brother if I could,”River replied, “But Dad, unless he does something crazy or dangerous, I can't force him to do anything to help himself. Maybe once he knows Ronnie's back with us he will change. After all, it was grief that drove him into this situation, now she's back, perhaps he'll come out of it.”

“We can hope,” Oswald said doubtfully.

“Can we see Ronnie?” Julian asked.

“You can sit with her soon, but don't expect her to wake up yet,” River told him.

“And please do thank Doctor West for his help,” Oswald added.

“I certainly will. He thinks he's close to a breakthrough on a treatment for Amy,” she added, “As soon as he's finished checking on Ronnie, he's going to sit down with me in the office and explain his theory in detail. I'd better go and find him, I'll be back soon.”

As she walked off, Julian was deep in thought.

“Herbert West helped to bring back Ronnie... Maybe he's not such a bad guy.”

“He's nothing like Shepard,” Oswald reminded him, “But he does come with a very dark past indeed.”

“And he's my uncle,” Julian added, “Maybe I should give him a chance, get to know him a little bit?”

Oswald looked fondly at him.

“That is entirely your decision, Julian. But I have yet to make mine. I do not know if I can allow someone with a past like Doctor West to live indefinitely in this city with underworld protection. If his experiments get out of hand, the public would be furious with the underworld - and with me - for allowing it to happen.”

“I really don't think that would happen now. He's spent years refining his formula. He's got Wayne Enterprises interested in using his Re Agent for medical research, and River is interested in using it in her work too. I'm hearing good things about him, Oswald.”

“So am I,” Oswald replied, “And that's what makes the decision even harder – because nothing changes the past.”

Julian nodded in agreement, then they said no more, waiting for River to return.

Molly was home alone with Gertie. The other kids were at school and the house was quiet as the clock ticked down the hallway. Gertie was upstairs sleeping in the nursery, and without Oswald and Julian here, the place was too quiet as she waited for the call to come through and hear news on Ronnie. She didn't know if it would be successful, she hoped or the best but that was all they could do now – Ronnie's case was a difficult one. But for now, no news was good news...

Then there was a knock at the door and she knew that knock and hurried to answer it, glad of the company – Josh had stopped by.

“Hey, it's good to see you!” she said with a bright smile, “I'm waiting on news about Ronnie. Ozzie and Julian went up to the clinic to wait.”

“I've tried reaching Cain but there was no answer at the apartment,” said Josh as he entered the house and Molly closed the door behind him, “I can't say for sure if he was in and avoiding me, or if he was out. I tried his phone, no luck there too.”

“Maybe he just needs time,” Molly replied as they went through to the front room, “Its a hell of a thing to go through, losing your fiancée and then waiting to find out if she can be brought back... Cain loves her so much, I'm not surprised this is driving him nuts. All we can do is hope that's over by the time she's awake so he can speak to her, and then he will know she's really back.”

Then as they went through to the front room, Molly changed the subject, needing happier thoughts at that moment.

“So, are you looking forward to it? This time tomorrow you'll be carrying Ivy's baby!”

Josh smiled at the thought.

“Yes, I'm looking forward to it, Molly. I'm nervous but it's all going to be worth it.”

They sat down together and Molly welcomed the chance to talk about another subject, taking her mind off her fears for her son.

“Julian will be more than happy to talk to you about his experience. Getting implanted wasn't too bad, he had a bit of discomfort and needed to rest for a few days, but then he was fine.”

“But he miscarried the unit at five months, that worries me.”

“He was under stress, Josh. That was around the time Ozzie had to fake his death and vanish. That's what made him lose the unit. But it protected Gertie and she survived, she's fine!”

“I'll rest, I have two women at home who will make sure I do!” Josh said with a smile.

“And you have no worries – and complications are rare,” Molly reminded him.

And then a sound cut through the air, the sound of glass breaking somewhere in the house. They both got up sharply as Josh reached for his gun.

“Wait here, Molly!”

“Bollocks will I! It's just you and me, and where the hell are security? You go ahead, I'll fetch my piece from upstairs,” Molly replied as her heart raced at the thought that Gertie was alone up there and they had just heard a sound like the glass in the back door breaking...

Josh silently made his way down the hallway as Molly darted up the stairs to fetch her gun. She hurried into the bedroom, pressing the emergency alert on the way as a light on the wall flashed silently.

_Outside, two guards were slumped in a pool of blood with their throats slit. Another guard on gate duty was bleeding out from a stab wound to the gut, and the security camera had been smashed... Nearby, two more security staff were slumped in a blood soaked car. And the man who had done this had gone around the back, smashed the glass in the back door and was now inside the Cobblepot residence..._

Josh stayed tight to the wall, weapon raised, listening in the silence, then he rounded a corner, but saw only the back door wide open and shattered glass on the kitchen floor. He turned back and began to search each of the downstairs rooms, his finger hovering on the trigger.

Molly had grabbed her gun and stood in the bedroom quickly loading it, then she took it in both hands and made her way out of the bedroom.

_And that was when Gertie started to scream and cry._

Molly's blood ran cold.

She made her way down the upper hall, weapon poised as she broke into a sweat. Gertie was screaming as if... a _stranger_ had picked her up?

 _This was a kidnap_.

That ran though her mind as she made her way to the nursery and stepped through the open door with her gun raised. Then her eyes went wide at the sight of a young man in a bright blue suit framed by the long nets that blew in the breeze as he stood on the edge of the balcony with Gertie in his arms, wrapped in a thick white blanket as the baby wailed.

“Put her down!” Molly said in horror, “Let her go!”

Izak Coffinwood smirked.

“There's more to come, Molly,” he said as he stood on the ledge holding the bundle in his arms, “This is just the start! This is for Cain destroying my business!”

“ _Put her down she's just a baby!”_ Molly said in terror as she struggle to keep her aim, knowing she couldn't fire because if she did, it would send Coffinwood plunging to the ground below – taking Gertie with him.

“ _I'm going to destroy this family, you don't mess with the son of Bane!”_ he yelled.

Then he stepped back as Molly screamed, seeing Izak plunging backwards off the balcony, taking the bundle in his arms with him as he tossed it into free fall. Molly stood there in shock for a split second, then, breathing ragged, she dashed to the balcony and looked over. Coffinwood was far below on the ground, landed on his feet as he looked up and smirked. Then he unhooked a safety line, flipped a middle finger and darted off towards the gates. Guards were running now, coming from the other side of the estate, firing off shots as Coffinwood ducked and ran laughing as he leapt over blood soaked bodies on his way out.

And Gertie...

Molly's eyes were blurred with tears as she looked down at the white bundle far below on the ground. The breeze shifted the blanket:

_There was nothing inside it._

Then Gertie gave a loud cry, and that was when she realised it was coming from inside the nursery. Molly turned sharply and dashed back, falling to her knees as she scooped up the baby, unharmed from beneath the cot where Izak had hidden her.

“ _Oh Gertie, sweetheart!”_ Molly wept as she held her close and the child's tears stopped, _“Oh no, I thought he'd...”_

Josh hurried into the room.

“I heard you screaming!”

Molly was on the carpet, tears streaming down her face as she cradled Gertie, who was clearly unharmed.

“ _That bastard took her blanket and jumped! I thought she was dead...”_ rage fired up in her eyes, _“Call Jax to liaise with the GCPD, the rules have changed - then call Oswald, he needs to tell Julian what's happened but make sure he knows Gertie is safe - as of now, there's an underworld death warrant taken out on Izak Coffinwood!”_  
Josh looked bewildered.

“Since when?”

Molly clutched Gertie tighter as she got up from the floor.

“ _Since now! I'm fucking ordering it!”_ she said tearfully.

This wasn't the way Julian had planned to meet his uncle properly for the first time. But after Molly had called Oswald with the news, Julian had listened in horror as he was told Coffinwood had broken in, hid Gertie under her crib and then made it look like he had thrown her off the balcony. Oswald's assurance that she was fine and there was now a death warrant on Izak did nothing to calm him as he started to have an anxiety attack, but now he was sitting in Herbert West's office as his uncle put a hand on his shoulder and told him to breathe.

“Gertie is fine, the situation is under control,” Herbert reminded him.

Julian took in a slow, shaky breath as he trembled.

“ _The bastard wanted Molly to think he'd killed my baby? What sort of a sick fuck -”_

“A dead one,” Herbert reminded him, “There's a warrant on his head now. Just calm down, then you can go home with Oswald and see for yourself that your daughter is fine.”

He looked into his eyes, seeing kindness reflecting there.

“This isn't how I planned to meet you.”

“Well, now you have. I'm Doctor Herbert West, your uncle. I wish I'd been around when you were growing up, but I cut ties to the Lambrick name many years ago. You can be very sure I'm nothing like my brother, Julian.”

He was calming down now as Oswald stood behind the chair where he sat, his hands on his shoulders as he gave them a reassuring squeeze.

“Coffinwood's days are numbered. I've doubled security, he won't be returning to the house, Julian. Gertie is quite safe.”

“I just want to go home and hold her,” Julian said as he blinked away tears, “I wanted to be here for Ronnie but now, I really need to go home!”

River entered the room and gave Julian a glass of water and two pills.

“This should take the edge off the shock,” she told him, “And be sure to take your regular medication on time too, it's been a lot to handle, Julian. And then see Gertie, and take some rest,” she added, glancing at Oswald, who nodded, knowing only too well how badly the impact of shock could hit sensitive Julian.

Herbert glanced at Oswald.

“Like your husband said, I also had no plans to meet him under these circumstances. But at least Ronnie is doing well, we expect her to be awake in a few days. I suppose now would be a terrible time to ask about my letter granting residence?”

“Yes it would be a _terrible_ time, Doctor West!” Oswald replied in an irritated tone, “I'm taking you home now, Julian.”

As he said that Julian rose from his seat and Oswald put his arm around him, then he led him out of the office and into the corridor. River turned to Herbert.

“That was bad timing!”

“I realise that, but I am keen to have my permission to stay formalised!”

“Not today!” River told him firmly, and then she left the room to walk with Oswald and Julian as they left the building together.

It had been a hell of a day. Josh could only imagine the distress Molly had been through when Izak had jumped, taking the rolled up blanket with him. Josh went home and told Ivy and Selina exactly what had happened, in a low voice, in the kitchen while his son was napping and their daughter was in the next room watching TV. It was so horrible, just the thought that he could have pulled off such a stunt, making Molly think even for a moment, that he had leapt to his death and taken Gertie with him... Josh put his hand on Ivy's belly thinking about that precious baby that would soon be implanted into his own body, and he wanted to cry. He had always been determined to protect his family and now that need was amplified after Izak Coffinwood's sick stunt. _There was so much evil in this world..._

That night Josh slept uneasily, recalling the look of horror he had seen in Molly's eyes as she clutched Gertie, shaking as she recalled Izak leaning from the balcony. Ivy held him close and Selina shifted warm beside him, and the reassuring presence of the two women in his life finally allowed him to sleep. Tomorrow was a big day. Tomorrow, he would be carrying his baby by Ivy Pepper...

The house was silent as night deepened. Molly stood in the doorway of their secret playroom, watching as Oswald's fist slipped out shiny and lubed from Julian's ass, then as he lay there restrained, she heard him whisper _Fuck me Doctor Cobblepot!_ And the sound of sheer bliss that he made as Ozzie slid his cock into his fisted ass sent a tingle through Molly's body, but she turned away from the door, closed it quietly and left them to their fun. Oswald's idea of comforting Julian after he had spent hours anxiously watching over his sleeping daughter, was to take him there to the playroom and strip him naked and get him excited and play their usual doctor – patient game, then fuck him on the table. But Molly couldn't get turned on, not really, no matter how much she loved the two men in her life, because what she had been through was still with her.

Julian was content to know Oswald would handle this.

Oswald was simply waiting on his men to say Izak was dead and his body was in the river.

_But Molly wasn't happy with that._

For every second that fucker breathed, she felt her anger rising as she recalled the horrible cold shock of seeing that blanket hurled over the balcony, believing Gertie was wrapped in it...

She wanted to find Izak. The satisfaction of putting a bullet in his head would be enough, she needed to put him down herself...

She went downstairs to the study, sat at Ozzie's desk and opened up a drawer, took out his hidden cigarettes and lit one, then she made a call to Jax Sterling who was still out there in Gotham by night, under starry skies in the streets lit by lamplight, searching with his best men to find Izak's trail.

“Yes, Molly?” Jax said as he answered.

“Any luck yet?” she asked in a low voice.

“Not yet, but the GCPD have special instruction now to either take Coffinwood down in pursuit, or to hand him over to us if they get there first. But I'm hoping the underworld will do its job well.”

“When you find him,” Molly paused to blow out smoke as the cigarette burned, “I want the body in the river as my husband instructed. But do one thing more for me, Jax. Bring me Coffinwood's head. I need to be sure he's gone.”

“Of course,” Jax replied, “As soon as we have him, it will be in the bag.”

“Carry on, General Sterling,” Molly replied and then she ended the call and sat back deep in thought, in the dark as she carried on smoking her husband's cigarette.

Next morning, Josh felt on top of the world after a nervous wait at the hospital and then a short but painful procedure that inserted the implant. Now he had a scar deep in his ass and a tiny weight just below his rib cage where the baby was implanted. In time, the implant would grow its own birth passage all the way to that scar, but for now, everything was in the early stages. But he was pregnant at last.

Ivy was awake and recovered from her procedure an hour before he felt able to get up and even think about going home, Josh ached below his ribs and his ass hurt inside where the fresh scar was sealing up, and would remain tightly closed until the unit gave off the right chemicals nine months later...

“I'm still worried about the Coffinwood incident, Jax said it's all in hand, he also said I'm not to worry about it, and that he wont be around for a while, he's got some long hours ahead,” Josh said, then he caught his breath as he sat in bed, getting comfortable as the scar throbbed and his ribcage felt heavier one side, along with a dull ache.

“And you don't have to worry about that!” Ivy reminded him as she folded the covers back and sat beside him.

Selina climbed on to the bed too, placing her hand below his ribs, feeling a tiny lump that would get bigger slowly, as the baby grew inside him.

“You're pregnant, Josh,” she said with a soft smile and shine to her eyes.

Josh leaned closer and they shared a kiss, then as she drew back, Ivy encouraged him to lie flat.

“You have to rest for several days!” she reminded him.

“But I should call Cain, Molly and Oswald have been trying to contact him – hey, give that back!”

Ivy had just snatched up his phone and turned it off.

“Not today,” Ivy said as she got up and headed for the door with his phone in her hand, “You have to rest! Jax has all the duties handled, and Oswald is well aware today was a big day for you. You're off work until next week, and then, it's desk duties!”

Josh gave a sigh as he settled back. Selina was beside him and he covered her hand as she rested it over the implant deep inside him.

“Ivy's going to grab some rest too, with you, while I pick Maria up from school later,” she told him, “And I'll take care of Nathan too so you don't have to worry about a thing. Ivy will be over this before you, she needs a day or two taking it easy – you need a week. And we've got everything covered, Josh. All you have to do is rest,” she paused to kiss him softly, “And _stop_ worrying about work!

Then as Ivy returned to the room, Selina got up and said she would start cooking lunch, and as she left the room, Ivy lay beside Josh as they embraced and smiled as they both thought about the miracle of how they were sharing the creation of this child. He had conceived the baby inside Ivy, but now that implant was growing inside him, and it felt great...

But he still thought about work, because there had been a major incident, and he still worried about Jax, but said nothing, taking the rest he had been instructed to take, for the sake of the life growing inside him.

Over at the clinic Ronnie was starting to show signs of slowly waking up. It wouldn't happen today, it could be days before she was properly awake, but so far all the signs were good. And River hadn't expected to have any worries that day, not until she saw Amy up and dressed and sitting on the bed as she slipped on her shoes. Herbert was waiting for her, and little Lily was wearing a new white dress and shiny black shoes and had a big smile on her face as Amy said they were leaving this place, she and Lily were going to stay with Herbert at the house for a couple of days...

“That's not a good idea,” River told her, “Yes, your medication is working, but if that changes tomorrow -”

“River,” Herbert said, “I have found the right agents to treat Amy. The notes are all on your desk. I worked through most of last night and I finally identified what we need.”

River looked at him in surprise.

He smiled back at her proudly.

“But Herbert, we still need a donor for that brain tissue.”

“And we have plenty of time to find one,” he replied, “Maybe we'll get lucky... if an accident comes in and life support is the only thing keeping the patient going and next of kin agrees, we have the tissue - with no need to worry about the risk involved or a recovery process. I mean, this is a big city, accidents happen all the time.”

River's jaw dropped.

“You're unbelievable! I sincerely hope we don't have any fatalities coming in today! I'm sure in time we can find a willing, healthy donor – but it could be a long wait and that's why Amy is better off here.”

“I _am_ in the room!” Amy walked over to join them, “And I feel okay, River! I want to go home with Herbert, I want to see his new place – and Lily's fine, she's recovered rapidly, and she doesn't need to be stuck in this place any longer!”

Lily looked up at River.

“I want to see my new home,” she whispered as excitement shone in her eyes.

River gave a sigh.

“Okay, I can't stop you, I have no reason to object but I must remind you to be cautious.”

As he stood beside Amy, Herbert took hold of her hand.

“Don't worry, River. She's with me – they both are. Amy couldn't be in safer hands.”

River couldn't disagree with that. Herbert knew as much about her case as she did, and he was right.

“I'll bring her straight back here if we have any problems,” he assured her.

River watched as Amy let go of Herbert's hand, took hold of Lilly's hand instead, then she led her out of the room and began to make her way down the corridor as Herbert hung back, keen to reassure River.

“You really don't have to worry. I'll keep her safe.”

River's gaze reflected doubt as she kept her voice low.

“Herbert, I know she seems okay – but she could collapse, the medication could stop working, she could get very sick _very_ fast!”

“And I'm more than capable of helping her in an emergency,” he reminded her firmly, “Amy is safe with me, I'm confident that she will be fine!”

“But not forever, not without treatment.”

“I know that too,” Herbert replied, “And now I'm going to take my new family home. They can't wait to see the house.”

He walked off to join Amy and Lily who were waiting further down the corridor. River watched as he caught up with them, then they walked off together as she silently worried for Amy, who was so much more fragile than she seemed...


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Sunlight shone through glass panels in the front door and the sound of the door closing behind them echoed softly about the hallway. The house was old, and still had its original features from the barley twist style of the staircase to the wood panels on the walls, but the place had been renovated and smelled of fresh paint. The chandelier was catching the sunlight as it hung above the entrance, and as Lily ran off to explore, Amy called to her to wait, but Herbert turned to her with a reassuring look in his eyes.

”This place is quite safe, Amy. Let her explore. By the way, I've had the kitchen stocked for us and to meet Amy's needs too. Her room is ready and so is ours. We have Wi-Fi and brand new wiring in here, and all we need to do now is get some new furniture – there's a few rooms still unfurnished.”

As they stood together in the hallway, Amy smiled.

“I love this old place! But why this house, what made you choose it?”

“It has a large basement,” Herbert replied, “Perfect for working on my research.”

“What research. I thought you worked at the clinic -”

Her question went unfinished as she heard her daughter hurry up the stair case and turned her head.

“Wait for me!” she called out, and then she playfully grabbed Herbert's tie, pulling him closer as they shared a kiss.

“I'm going to catch up with my little girl!”

“And I'll make us something to eat,” Herbert replied, “I also have some blood chilled in the fridge ready for Lily.”

“My little vampire girl,” Amy said fondly, and then she turned away and headed towards the staircase, keen to catch up with her daughter and see the bedrooms for the first time.

Cain Cobblepot had finally made the journey over to the clinic. All the way there Ronnie was beside him, telling him _this_ Ronnie in the clinic was not real.

_And he believed her._

_His_ Ronnie looked just like she used to look, but she told him that he was the true king of Gotham. She told him the city would fear him, and she told him that she loved him for the power he commanded.

_No one else could see her._

_He was sure they were all lying..._

He walked into her room. He didn't know where his sister was, River was no where to be seen at that moment and the staff had simply let him pass because he was Oswald's son, here to see his girlfriend.

The misty form of Ronnie stood by the doorway as he walked into the room.

“She's not real, Cain, I'm over here!” the hallucination reminded him.

Cain glanced back at her.

“I know that, Ronnie, I just want to find out what she's made of...”

And as she heard his voice, the real Ronnie's eyes snapped open. She turned her head slowly, then blinked and stared up at him.

“Cain.” she stated.

He looked down at her, bewildered by the robotic version of Ronnie who couldn't be her, because he had been with Ronnie all the time, even if no one else could see her...

“Who are you?” Cain said in a low voice.

Ronnie, who had woken far sooner than expected, vaguely recalled the past as it sped through her mind as her brain cells worked in unison with the cyborg unit, and she recognised the emotion _love,_ and smiled briefly at Cain as she sat up stiffly.

“I am processing that you are my boyfriend,” she said, “I do care for you, Cain.”

She had stated that with such lack of usual emotion that all Cain could do was stare at her for a moment. Then anger filled his eyes.

“ _WHY ARE THE TRYING TO REPLACE RONNIE WITH A ROBOT? YOU'RE NOT REAL!”_

“You tell her, Cain,” said the hallucination of Ronnie that only he could see as he reached into his pocket and whipped out a knife.

The real Ronnie sat there looking bewildered.

“Cain.. why are... you armed?” she asked, as each word jerked robotically from her lips.

Cain grabbed her hand, slashing the blade down the back of it as she gave a cry of pain and blood began to flow from the gash.

“Try again,” said the hallucination standing in the doorway.

Cain raised the blade as Ronnie raised an arm to block his blow.

“ _Cain, no, I am Ronnie!”_ she insisted, and still sounded less than human. Ronnie slashed again and again as the sheets spattered red as in the doorway, the hallucination giggled.

Suddenly alarms were screaming as Ronnie's hand reached out, clamping about Cain's wrist as she gave a twist and the blade clattered to the floor. Ronnie coughed as blood ran from her mouth as she gave him a shove, and he fell to the floor. As security grabbed him, he started to fight back, but was overpowered as his shoes slipped in blood and he yelled to Ronnie standing by the doorway, but the hallucination just stood there, expressionless, looking on as he was turned face down and cuffed and then dragged to his feet. As he was dragged away, he looked back to see River rushing into the room as medics followed.

“IT'S NOT RONNIE! IT'S A ROBOT, YOU'RE ALL LYING TO ME!” Cain shouted.

River rushed to Ronnie's bedside, pulling back the covers as Ronnie lay there coughing on her own blood as she struggled to breathe. She was pale and shaking and looking up at River with wide eyes as a medic began to treat the gash to the side of her neck as blood soaked the pillow.

“ _I am... Ronnie!!”_ she gasped.

“I know you are, but Cain is very sick,” River said, turning the covers back to see a deep knife wound to Ronnie's stomach. She glanced to the nurse who was treating the neck wound.

“We need to get her back into surgery right now!”

Oswald had pushed everything aside when the call came through, even the matter of progress on tracking down Izak Coffinwood. Because the unthinkable had happened, and now he blamed himself.

“ _It's my fault!”_ he said as he blinked away tears as he sat in the car and Molly took the wheel. 

“Neither of us knew he was capable of something like this,” Molly reminded him, “And he can't get out of it with excuses this time -” she started the engine and blinked away tears as the car headed for the road, “He's gone to see Ronnie, she's woken up earlier than expected, he's thinking she's a robot and he's bloody stabbed her multiple times to find proof of the wiring! He's insane, Oswald!”

“And still our son.” Oswald replied quietly as pain reflected in his voice.

They hit the highway and picked up speed, heading into the city and towards the direction of River's clinic. They would wait for news on Ronnie but for now, would not see Cain. He was currently being held in the psychiatric wing, pending test results. This had turned bad very quickly indeed, worse than they had expected, and Molly felt just as much to blame as Oswald. The warning signs had all been there, but everyone had been powerless to act because until now, Cain had seemed harmless...

“I think Cain took the drugs from the bad batch Coffinwood was selling,” she said, “And I think its damaged him, Ozzie. I think it could even kill him. He's where he needs to be now – but I never wanted it to happen like this. Poor Ronnie, she's just been revived, she's got so much to adjust to, and he almost killed her!”

“As concerned as I am for Ronnie, I also fear for our son,” Oswald told her as he looked at her tearfully, “He's our eldest son and if he has taken some of that bad batch, we could lose him! People are still dying from using that shit!”

“We'll see Ronnie today, let's just focus on her for now,” Molly told him, “We need to know she's going to make it. She needs us there when she wakes up, she needs to know she's safe!”

“Yes she does, you're right,” Oswald replied quietly, and then they took the rest of the journey in silence, their thoughts with Ronnie and their son, who had clearly lost his mind...

“ _Cain will be held in isolation for the next forty eight hours while we run tests,”_ River was saying quietly to Molly as they stood in Ronnie's room and Oswald sat next to her bed, _“Depending on our findings, we can either treat him here or send him to Arkham – or if it's the worst case scenario, we can think about an alternative treatment plan. He's sick, he had no control over his actions._ _He genuinely thought Ronnie was beside him when he stabbed the real Ronnie trying to prove she was a robot. There's no damage to the internal repairs, the neck wound was superficial and the stomach wound was a little more serious, but all she needed was stitching, pain relief and sedation. She's come out of the revival process much faster than expected and while she didn't need this trauma, it won't affect her long term recovery but I do recommend she takes some time away to rest and recover. It could be a year before she's ready to come back to active duty...”_

Molly nodded.

“At least she's going to be okay. As for Cain...” Molly blinked away tears as she shook her head, “My son, my Cain, behaving like this? “

“I know,” River agreed, “My brother is very sick, Molly. There won't be any charges over the knife incident, I've listed it as an underworld incident to protect Cain and Ronnie – she would have a hard time returning to work with the world knowing one of Oswald's top agents was stabbed by a Cobblepot. And Cain is sick, he needs treatment, not jail - I don't know yet what that treatment will be. We need to be prepared for the worst.”

Just then, Ronnie opened her eyes and looked down at her bandaged hand, then discomfort registered on her face.

“Cain... went crazy?”

“Cain is very sick,” Oswald told her softly, “We don't know why – yet. But if he had been in his right mind he never would have done that to you, Ronnie.”

She took in a slow breath, then turned her head stiffly, meeting Oswald's concerned gaze.

“I hope no charges were filed. For my career and his reputation. This is an underworld matter.”

“Absolutely,” Oswald agreed, “And River says you need a year to recover from the revival process and get back to a normal life. You need time to rest and heal and learn to live with your repaired body. So I have decided to find you a nice place to stay out of the city, somewhere quiet, maybe on the coast – where you can live peacefully with all costs met by the underworld. I do hope that sounds agreeable.”

She blinked.

“Yes, agreeable but... Cain, I need to know if Cain is okay!”

“Cain won't be okay for a long time,” Oswald said to her as he gently held her undamaged hand, patting the back of it, “Please leave Cain to us. All you need to do is rest, recover and leave the clinic and have a comfortable year off duty while you get back on your feet properly. And while the circumstances are not perfect with Cain being so sick, welcome back, Ronnie. We've all missed you.”

She blinked then looked robotically at Oswald.

“Thank you sir,” she stated quietly, before closing her eyes and slipping back into a deep sleep.

Oswald left her bedside and rejoined Molly and River in the doorway.

Molly was wiping away tears.

“What's wrong now?” he asked as he thought of his son and fear flickered at the back of his mind.

“It's like this,” River said, “I was just explaining to Molly, Dad – if Cain has been damaged by Izak's bad batch, the damage could be progressive and ultimately, even fatal. We should know in the next two to three days exactly what were dealing with. Some of the results could come in a lot sooner - but there's a very significant risk that Cain may never come out of this, he could be insane indefinitely.”

Oswald gave a sob, then he reached for Molly and she clung to him as they wept together knowing what ever the outcome for Cain, it was unlikely to be good news, not after all River had told them...

Later when they reached home, it was Oswald who explained everything as Julian sat there on the sofa cradling his sleeping daughter. The kids were yet to come home from school, and when they did Molly would talk to them, explaining that for now, Cain had to stay in the clinic and he couldn't have visitors because he was too sick. That was much better than explaining to the children whose ages ranged from fourteen to five years that their big brother was insane and dangerous...

Julian listened to all Oswald said, then he put Gertie in her rocker as she snoozed contentedly, paused to carefully strap her in and then he sat down on the sofa once more. As Molly joined him, he reached for her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze as Oswald sat close by, looking at him with sadness in his gaze.

“Ronnie will be okay, she will recover – it was going to be a long recovery before she returned to work but now, a little longer. The underworld will take care of her expenses and ensure she has a comfortable year off. But we don't know what the outcome will be for Cain. We could lose him, we don't know how serious this is, how deeply the toxin has affected him – if it is from Coffinwood's batch. Many of those who took the bad batch have died. Others have gone insane.”

“Like Cain,” Molly said tearfully, and as she gave a sob, Julian put his arm around her, pulling her closer as she quietly wept for her son.

“We'll get through this together, Ozzie,” he vowed, “Cain didn't choose to go crazy, he can't be blamed for that. And we are still his family.”

Oswald nodded.

“Yes we are, we always will be.” he agreed.

Much later, when the kids were home from school, after Molly had explained that Cain was sick and needed to be in the clinic for a while, and leaving it at that because the kids had too many questions and they didn't have answers yet, the mood was lifted slightly by the arrival of Little Penguin. He arrived with his father, who went off to the study for a drink with Oswald, who had waited all day for a much needed stiff drink, and while they talked, Little Penguin was his usual happy self running about the house as he played chase with Lucy and Felix and Edward the bulldog barked as he chased after them.

“At least Ronnie will recover,” Penguin Cobblepot said as he opened up a flipper hand, then gave it a dismissive wave, “As for the rest, we can do nothing but wait. I hope Cain recovers, but it seems nothing is certain yet.”

“And Molly is as devastated as I am,” Oswald told him as he set down his empty glass, “She cried in Julian's arms when we got home.”

“Maybe I should go and speak with her,” Penguin said in a gruff voice as he smiled broadly.

“Yes that's a great idea,” Oswald agreed, “Leave me here alone, I just need another drink.”

Penguin waddled out of the room, and Oswald had just poured his second shot of whisky when Little Penguin hurried into the study, his little shoes tapping loudly on the floor as he ran over to the desk and placed his small flippers on them.

“Hello Uncle Oz!” he said with a big smile, “Penguin did play in the garden with Lucy and Felix!”

Oswald smiled, his heart instantly lifted by the smile and small bright eyes of Little Penguin as they shone with such joy for life.

“And where are they now?”

“In the kitchen, Penguin has to go kitchen too, have some _fooooood!!_ ”

“Then you should go and eat, I have work to do...”As he said that, Oswald shifted papers on his desk that had been discarded since family matters had taken priority, and he drew out the application for residence made out by Herbert West.

“Molly said Ronnie is back!” Little Penguin said happily, “Hello again, hello Ronnie! Not dead now?”

Oswald looked at him in surprise.

“Yes that's right, she's alive and she's getting better - but she won't be back at work for a long time. She's taking a year out to recover and get plenty of rest.”

“Is...” Little Penguin touched the tips of his flippers together as he thought about it, _“Is Ronnie still cold, like when Penguin see her dead and touch her arm?”_

Oswald's eyes grew wider.

“ _You saw Ronnie dead and TOUCHED her?”_

Little Penguin nodded.

“Herbert said, it's okay, she will come back, hello again Ronnie!”

“You _touched_ her – and West was _okay_ with that?” he fumed.

Little Penguin opened and closed his flippers as he frowned.

“No! He find Penguin lost in morgue and says, let's find family.”

“He _allowed_ you access to the morgue?”

Oswald was furious as he slammed the paperwork on to the table.

“That's it, my decision is made. I will _not_ be granting him residency here in Gotham!”

It had been a terrible day and now, hearing news from little Penguin that West had allowed him to touch Ronnie's cold, dead arm was the last thing he needed to hear.

“But Penguin find body, _then_ Herbert find Penguin!” he protested, looking up at him intently as he tapped the tips of his flippers together wishing he could be more articulate, “Don't be angry with Herbert, Uncle Ozzie!”

Oswald gave a heavy sigh as he shook his head.

“Enough about Herbert West. Go to the kitchen and eat with your friends.”

“Ozzie not hungry?”

Oswald thought about Cain and his guts twisted with worry for his son.

“No, not right now, Little Penguin. Please go and enjoy your meal,” he said.

“Okay!” Little Penguin replied brightly, and waddled fast out of the room.

At the house in the woods where the paint had just finished drying on the walls, Lily was smiling as she sat on a rug in her big pink bedroom filled with toys.

“She even has a rocking horse!” Amy said with a smile as she looked over at the white horse with a flowing mane, then she left her daughter on the rug to play with her new dolls and took Herbert by the hand, leading him out of the room and down the hallway, “But _this_ is my favourite room...”

She opened up the door to a big master bedroom filled with oak furniture and graced with a four poster bed. Her hands slid up his shoulders as she looked into his eyes.

“Let's grab some time alone, Herbert. I'm so damned horny all the time!”

Herbert slid his hand up her short skirt, feeling wetness through her panties as she pressed against his touch and gave soft moan.

“That would be the effect of the injection to stimulate the nerve endings, side effects will leave you frequently and easily aroused, and slightly enlarged...” as he said that he closed the door behind them, smiling as he slid the lock into place and then he drew her over to the bed, “Something you clearly enjoy, and I must say the sight of you with your legs spread is beautiful. Your labia reminds me of a flower in full bloom!”

She sat down and spread her legs, giving a gasp as he fell to his knees on the soft carpet and tugged the fabric of her panties aside.

“ _Oh yes, do it!”_ she whispered.

He buried his face between her legs, lapping at her sex as she resisted the urge to moan out loud as his tongue danced firmly over her clitoris.

“ _Herbert!”_ she gasped, spilling wetness as she tangled her fingers in his hair and pushed his face harder against her body, _“Fuck me!”_

“No, that's enough for now...”

He felt a little stiff as he got up, but he had a smile on his face. While he was much older than Amy, he was still in good shape but sometimes, making love to her made his back ache – a small price to pay for all they shared. And now seemed a good time to mention something to her, and he hoped she understood...

“Once my equipment is set up in the basement, I will be caught up with work most of the time, as you know, my life is dedicated to my research,” he reminded her as he got up and paused to stretch his back, “But I will make time for you as much as I can... and if I'm too busy working, you might find this is useful, considering how easily aroused you are.”

He reached into his pocket and drew out a small cylindrical object, placing it in her hand as she felt its cold smoothness. It was metallic and heavy and the push button on one end activated easily, sending quiet but very strong vibrations through her hand. She turned it off and looked at him in surprise.

“A vibrator? You're going to be so busy I have to fuck myself?”

“It's not a vibrator, it's a small but powerful clitoral massager and sometimes,”he admitted, “I really won't have time to attend to your needs. But you know how much of my time is taken up by my work.”

Amy looked down at the sex toy, then she put it in a drawer next to the bed.

“I understand,” she told him, and then she drew him close and they shared a kiss. Love reflected in his gaze as he drew back.

“I will be a good husband to you and a great father to Lily. But I also have my own personal research I shall do from home, as well as interest from Wayne Enterprises, and some work that's possibly going ahead with Doctor River Mooney. I will be _busy_ , Amy. But _never_ doubt that I love you. I would do anything for you!”

“Anything but give up your work?” she said with a smile.

He chuckled.

“Anything but that!” he confirmed, “You go and spend some time with Lily, I have some equipment to unpack in the basement.”

Herbert went downstairs. Amy walked back down the hallway, pausing to stop in the open doorway, saying nothing as love reflected in her gaze, love for her daughter and love and deepest gratitude to Herbert, who had brought her back from the grave. Lily was on the floor, sat on the rug, playing with her dolls in a beautiful bedroom. This house was perfect for all of them. It was going to be a real family home...

“I think we are going to be _so_ happy here!” Amy said, and as she saw Lily turn her head, she felt confused. Her little girl was looking at her in alarm, then Lilly jumped up from the rug and hurried over to her.

“Mommy!” she whispered as she looked up and Amy looked down in confusion, then in horror as blood gushed from her nose, splashing on to her daughter's cheek, and as she stumbled backwards, her legs felt like rubber and she collapsed, hitting the hallway floor hard as she lay on her side, bleeding from her nose as her vision blurred. As her eyes rolled and she started to tremble hard, Lily stood over her, eyes wide with horror. She put a hand to her throat, trying with all her might to yell.

“ _Help! Help my Mommy!”_

But it came out as no more than a whisper.

Lilly turned and ran for the stairs, crying as she made the dash, knowing yelling for help was pointless - she had to find Daddy Herbert, and fast.

Herbert had been carefully setting up lab equipment on a bench in the basement, and when he felt a tug on his sleeve, he almost dropped a Bunsen burner as he turned to see Lily standing there, looking up at him with wide eyes. There was a splash of blood on her cheek.

“Lily, what's happened?”

“Mommy is sick!” she whispered urgently, then she darted for the stairs as Herbert hurried after her.

Amy was still trembling as Herbert breathlessly leaned over her.

It had been a hell of a dash, up from the basement to the ground floor, then to the upstairs, and a huge shock to see Amy lying on the floor in the hallway, bleeding from her nose and coming to the end of what had been a heavy seizure. He said her name and tried to rouse her, but got no response. Her face was pale and she looked as sick as the day he had first met her...

_The meds had stopped working._

“Is Mommy okay?” whispered Lily.

Herbert reached for Amy and lifted her into his arms.

“No, your Mommy is sick, she needs to go back to the clinic, I cant help her here,” Herbert told her as they made for the stairs and Lily hurried alongside him “Don't worry, I won't let anything bad happen to her, Lily...” Herbert looked down at Amy, who was still unconscious in his arms, “I love her too much to lose her!” he added as his voice trembled.

Molly had not expected a call from River so soon. At first, when she said something about an emergency, her heart had raced with fear as she thought of Cain, fearing the worst – then River had explained the Amy's condition had deteriorated. She was asking her to come over to the clinic to pick up Lily, and a list of her dietary requirements because Lily couldn't stay at the house alone and Herbert would be here at the clinic, working to try and keep Amy alive... It was such an awful, sad mess.

“Of course we'll take her in,” Molly said, and then she explained the situation to Julian and Oswald, grabbed her car keys and left the house, once again heading for River's clinic.

River had received some news on the test results for her brother. But she put her worry for him aside as she hooked Amy up to lines that pumped drugs into her body in a desperate attempt to keep her stable. Herbert had helped, but now he stood back from her bed, his eyes reflecting tears.

“The only course of action we have left is to inject into the brain and temporarily stop the progress of the damage,” River told him, “I know it only gives us a few days -”

“No!” Herbert insisted as he stepped closer to River and desperation burned in his eyes, “We can save her, we just need to carry out the treatment as planned!”

“She is far too unstable for a keyhole procedure!”

“Then open up her skull,” Herbert said, “Just remove the damaged tissue, then replace it with the cocktail of agents and the copy cells and -”

“And the donor cells?” River exclaimed, “Herbert, we don't have a donor willing to take a risk with an untested method of extraction! It's tissue deep in the brain, it's too dangerous and there's no one willing to be a donor!”

“ _We do have a donor.”_

River stared at him. He looked back at her as intensity reflected in his gaze.

“That's right, we have a donor,” he repeated, “I'll prep Amy for surgery, you get two surgical teams together, set up the machinery. I will help you remove the damaged tissue.”

River was still staring at him.

“Since _when_ did we have a donor?”

Behind his glasses, his gaze was unwavering as he looked into her eyes.

“ _Since I decided to be her donor_. There's no other way to do this, we don't have time to spare! I'm in good shape, there's no reason to doubt the safety of my equipment, I'm confident you can use the extractor to slice out a small amount of tissue and transfer it to Amy to kick start the healing process.”

“But you're asking me to use a device I've never used before – that you've only tested on a few subjects – and cut tissue from deep in your brain?”

“The device has an injectable cylinder that can introduce copy cells as soon as the tissue is extracted,” he reminded her, “I'll heal rapidly. River, she is going to die if we do nothing! Please, just trust me?”

Herbert was desperate. It reflected in his eyes and in his voice and as he looked at her pleadingly, River looked back at him, wondering if she could take such a chance. Herbert said the device was tested, but she had not seen evidence to back that up. And if they did nothing, Amy had hours to live...

Molly arrived at the clinic with the ends of her dark hair dripping wet thanks to the heavy rainfall that had started up outside as she parked behind the clinic. She hurried inside and found River, who was looking stressed as she glanced at Amy's patient notes.

“She's this way,” she said, and she led her down a corridor where little Lily was sitting alone, pale and ghostly in her white dress with her wide eyes and sad expression.

“This is my step mother, her name is Molly,” River told her, “And she's going to take care of you until your Mommy is better - or at least, until Herbert is available.”

Molly smiled kindly at Lily.

“I've got children close to your age,” she told her, “Lucy is seven, Felix is eight and we also have a little baby, too. And Luna is a teenager, but she's staying with her real mother for a while because my eldest son is very ill.”

She held out her hand to Lily, who grasped it as she stood up, and as Molly realised how cold her hand was, Lily looked up at her knowingly.

“Cain won't die,” she whispered, “Your son is sick but he will live.”

Molly gave a gasp, shocked at that moment by the fact that this kid didn't know a thing about Cain – it was if she had seen the future... This kid who had been dead for a very long time, whose hand was so very cold...

Molly forced a smile.

“I would be very happy if Cain gets better,” she said, and then she caught a look in River's eyes that made her hopes plunge down closer to despair once more.

“I got the first set of results back for Cain,” she said, “And all we know for sure so far, is that he has taken a heavy dose of the batch linked to Coffinwood. I'm sorry, Molly. Maybe there will be better news later, but for now, that's all I have and I thought it was better to tell you in person.”

Molly blinked away tears as she nodded, not wanting to break down in front of Lily, whose mother was most likely dying at this very moment. She was under no illusion regarding the fight Amy faced – Julian had been lucky to survive, and Amy had gone much longer without seeking help and her condition was so much worse... She pushed aside thoughts of the bad news she had to hand to Oswald about Cain's results, for now thinking only of the welfare of the child whose cold little hand was in her grip.

“This is a list of Lily's dietary requirements,” River added, handing her a paper.

Molly glanced at it. Blood and raw steak. But she could also drink water and milk.

“Okay, that's easy,” she replied, still feeling numb on hearing the news about Cain, then she led Lily from the building, determined not to cry in front of her.

No more news came in about Cain's results, but River had asked for her calls to be diverted while she prepared to operate on Amy. Two surgical teams had been set up, and everything was ready. Herbert was at Amy's bedside, and he was still looking down at her as he spoke to River as she entered the room.

“I really would have preferred to use the keyhole technique for her. She was very fond of her hair, I wanted to avoid shaving her head...” he paused to place a hand on her cheek as he took in the sight of her lying there unconscious with her long hair shaved off, “But maybe she will get some comfort from the fact that I find her rather attractive like this – now she's bald there's nothing to hide her beautiful face...” Herbert turned to River, “You might want to tell her I said that, so she knows she's still beautiful – I mean, should something go wrong with my role in this treatment. Not that I'm expecting complications, I'm just saying, _in case_.”

And River got the oddest feeling as she looked at him:

_Was that device really safe, or was Herbert taking a huge risk to save Amy?_

“Are you sure it's safe -”

“Of course!” he insisted quickly, and then he paused to look back at Amy.

“As her donor, I will be requiring no more than a simple key hole procedure, I wont be under for long, by the time she's in recovery I'll be up and dressed and after a short rest, able to assist with her care. I'll have a small scar under my hair where the device punctured in, it will need a stitch but the rapid healing agents will take care of it. _You don't have to worry about me, River._ _Worry about Amy_.”

He sounded so confident.

River nodded.

“Okay, let's get on and do this,” she agreed, “Amy can't wait much longer, she needs the treatment right away.”

Molly felt strangely confident in the company of the pale, cold little girl who had assured her that Cain would be okay. They arrived back at the mansion and she took Lily through to the front room to meet Lucy and Felix, and Lucy ran up to her and smiled.

“Hi Lily, I've been waiting for you,” she said, as Molly looked on again getting that odd feeling about the ghostly little girl. Lucy had described her weeks ago, saying she would have a new friend called Lily, who drank blood and looked pale and spoke in a whisper. Lucy had _known!_ She stood there beside Oswald looking on as Lucy and Lily began to speak.

“I'm seven,” said Lucy, “How old are you?”

Lily replied in a whisper, “I'm five soon. It's my birthday soon...”

As she looked to Molly, she asked a question.

“Will my Mommy be better by my birthday?”

“I hope so, but I don't know,” Molly replied, realising at once that this little girl, _if_ she possessed knowledge of the future, couldn't know everything. She could only hope she was right about Cain because right now, hope was all they had...

Lucy led Lily over to the sofa and invited her to sit then Felix came over and the kids began to talk. As Julian entered the room, Molly handed the diet sheet to Oswald.

“She drinks blood, she eats raw meat?”

“Yes, Ozzie – so I suggest you go without your steaks for a few days, I'll be putting them in the blender for her.”

“She drinks blood like a _vampire?_ ” Julian glanced nervously over at her, then back at Molly.

“Yes, she does. But obviously not from _people_ , Julian! It's something to do with her body changing while she was in cryonic suspension. And she can drink milk too, so that's something she can have with the other kids.”

Molly fell silent for a moment, blinking back tears, knowing she could hold it back no longer. Oswald and Julian both noticed the distress on her face and followed her out of the room, where she stifled a sob.

“River got the first test results back for Cain – it's bad news...” tears blurred her eyes as she looked from Julian to Oswald, _“He was poisoned by the bad batch, it's confirmed... Ozzie, our boy could die!”_

As she gave a sob, Oswald pulled her into a tight embrace, fighting back his own tears as he whispered to his wife that their son would live, as in his heart, he vowed that Izak would die for this, he would die painfully and slowly in revenge for the loss of his precious son...


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

_It was a rough night for Molly._ She put the kids to bed, with Lucy and Lily sharing a room, and then she called Luna to ask her how school was going, and added that she hoped she would be home soon. She told her that her brother was ill, and it could be serious, and that it was linked to some drugs he had taken. She left out the part about the stabbing, because that really would be too much for Luna to think about after how scared she had been of Cain on the day he had led her into an empty room and demanded she say Hi to Ronnie...Then she had spoken to Fish, and they had agreed it was for the best if Luna stayed with her for now.

Julian had gone off to sleep by eleven pm, laying naked on the bed in the warmth of the evening as the breeze came in through the window, and he was sleeping soundly. Molly was glad he could sleep, she and Oswald could not. Their thoughts were with Cain, their fear of losing him was mounting now they knew for sure exactly what had poisoned him...

The summer was taking hold now, keeping the night air warm as Molly stood in the darkened garden and Ozzie limped outside join her. They watched as the breeze shifted leaves on trees, heard the sigh of it and took in the peace and stillness, but nothing lifted their worries for their son.

“I keep thinking,” Molly said, “Maybe I should call my Dad – I spoke to him last week and he knew Cain was acting a bit weird, but he also knew how he felt about Ronnie, so he just said, _he'll come around when she's revived, you'll see..._ I can't talk about this with him, not yet. I need to know exactly what's happening with our son before I tell the rest of the family, Ozzie. What if he never recovers? What if he stays insane and has to spend the rest of his life in fucking Arkham? I can't bear it, I can't think about my baby locked away in that place – or any asylum! He's eighteen, I want him out here in the real world, living his life – it's so unfair!”

As tears filled her voice, Oswald placed his hand on her shoulder, sadness reflecting in his gaze as he spoke quietly in reply.

“Molly my dear, we may not have to think about him spending the rest of his life anywhere – we could lose him. And while I don't doubt we will track down the man responsible, Coffinwood's death will bring a sense of revenge but that won't make up for the damage done to Cain. I don't think anything can. I feel as if I'm already grieving for his loss, and I shouldn't think that way because he's still very much alive!”

Molly nodded.

“I know, that's how I feel too,” she wiped her eyes as she looked about the garden, thinking of all the years they had spent watching the kids play out here, watching Cain grow up, too...

“We can't lose him, Ozzy.”

“If we do, a part of me will always blame him for being so dumb!” Oswald said in frustration, “ _Why_ would a son of mine, educated and privileged be so stupid as to take drugs from someone like Coffinwood?”

“Because he's young and he's got the right to make his own choices, even the bad ones,” Molly replied as again she recalled what Ed had said to her and knew that he was right, “We couldn't have stopped this, Oswald. It was Cain's decision. He had a choice and he made the wrong one.”

Oswald paused for thought as he looked into the shadows and the breeze sighed, then he turned to Molly.

“Cain was unstable before the drugs incident. I've made a decision. He will _not_ be next in line to inherit my empire. Upon my death, Julian will become king of Gotham and run the underworld, and you might have to remind him not to be so damned kind sometimes, but I think with him taking my place and you alongside him, and with his former role as mayor in the minds of the people, he will do well. And when Luna is older, she should then take over. Unless Felix surprises us all and decides against his chosen path - but I have very strong faith our Felix will make a fine politician some day. He wants to run the city, he's said it ever since he started to talk!”

“You're pushing Cain out?”

Hurt reflected in her eyes.

“No, I am not,” Oswald assured her, “I am simply allowing for the others to take their share in the empire many years from now – sparing Cain the ordeal of having to cope with a role he can not manage. Cain needs to be taken care of, he's never going to be stable enough to take on the demands of running the underworld and that is not his fault, it's just the way he is. That's my choice as a father who loves him, Molly.”

“And I really can't see Julian wanting to run the underworld,” Molly added, “I can't imagine him ever issuing a death warrant for anyone, he's too bloody nice!”

“You can do that part, I'll trust you to handle the less pleasant side of things,” Oswald said he smiled, “I have faith in you both, Molly.”

Molly looked at him in confusion.

“Ozzy, why are we standing out here talking about when you die? You're not going anywhere for many years!”

Oswald shook his head.

“Maybe knowing Cain is in such danger has made me think about mortality,” he replied, “He's our son, he's eighteen years old, we can't lose our son! It's not supposed to happen that way, we are supposed to get old, he's supposed to bury us, _not_ the other way around!”

Oswald broke off from speaking as tears choked his voice.

Molly put her arms around him, holding him tightly as they stood together in the darkened garden and wept.

As Molly and Oswald went back into the house, she was in a short night gown and he was wearing a bathrobe, and they were finally ready to face sleep, now the worries that would have kept them awake had been voiced aloud, but instead Oswald took her by the hand and led her into the study and closed the door.

“I know it's late, but I could use a drink,” he said, and he took two glasses and poured a shot of whisky into both, then slid one across the desk to Molly as he sat down on his comfortable, padded chair as she sat on the edge of the desk. He lit up a smoke and handed it to her.

“I won't tell the kids if you don't!”

Molly inhaled the smoke deeply and blew it out, then sipped from her drink.

“What a fucking life, Ozzie. We've got everything a person could want – you own half the feckin' city! And then there's our oldest son, fucks his life up on drugs! I keep thinking back, and I'm trying to find out why but there's nothing we've done or haven't done, that could have stopped this from happening!”

“As you said, he's an adult and free to make his own bad choices,” Oswald replied, “And while I'm here with paperwork in front of me...” he paused to turn on the lamp, then he looked down at his paperwork, “Little Lily is a lovely girl. And she spoke well of her mother and her new father over dinner tonight. And River did mention when she messaged that Amy was only having surgery tonight because he offered to be her donor. I guess the guy really does love her. River was wrong and so was I, so I'm decided...” he started to fill out the paperwork, and Molly watched as he stamped it and then signed his name at the bottom.

“Tomorrow I'll write him a formal letter, stating that I'm allowing permanent residence. I'll leave a message with the office to be sure to call the mainland to tell them they have no power of arrest here. Herbert West is now a resident of Gotham City and granted protection of the underworld, with full immunity from outside prosecution.”

Molly smiled as she leaned over the desk and they shared a kiss.

“I think you made the right choice,” she said, “He saved Ronnie, and now he's saving Amy – and he obviously loves her and cares very much for Lily, too. He deserves this chance.”

“Yes, he most certainly does.” Oswald agreed.

Next morning Julian was up first to feed Gertie, then as the older kids woke up, he also took on the task of making breakfast. Molly woke before Oswald, turning over and kissing him as he stirred from sleep. The space beside him where Julian usually slept was empty and she heard Felix dash down the stairs as he yelled out that he could smell breakfast cooking.

“What time is it?” she murmured and then as she pushed her hair out of her eyes and checked the time, she remembered, Amy's surgery was last night. She checked her phone. There were no messages from River. As she got out of bed, Oswald was sitting up and blinking away sleep.

“Ozzie, has River messaged you?”

He glanced at his phone and set it down again.

“No. And I need to get up and grab a shower, I hate waking this late, we have to get the kids to school!”

“Julian's doing the school run today and we're meant to be staying here with Gertie,” she replied, and as she got up she glanced at her husband.

“We haven't heard from River about Amy's surgery.”

“Obviously it all went well,” Oswald replied, “or she would have contacted us.”

Molly picked up her phone as Oswald got out of bed and headed for the shower, and then she called River, but the message went to voicemail.

“Okay, let's try your husbands phone,” she muttered, and called Victor instead.

The phone rang for a short time and Victor Zsasz picked up.

“Hi Molly,” he said, “If this is about the accounts, I'm on my way over to the club this morning.”

“No Victor, I was just wondering if you've heard from River? She had a long night working on Amy. Has she called you, did it go well?”

“River called me last night to say she had a patient in for a complicated surgery and she said she would be up all night and then grabbing some sleep at the clinic before she drove back home, I'm assuming she's sleeping right now, so please don't call her.”

“Damn... I did. But I don't think I woke her... I'll call her later.”

“Okay, and if she doesn't answer, I'll tell her to call you when she gets home from work.”

“Thanks, Victor,” said Molly, and ended the call.

She stood there for a moment deep in thought, then she headed for the bathroom as Ozzie turned on the shower.

“Oz,” she called out, “I'm going over to the clinic this morning to see River, Victor said she's probably grabbing some sleep before she drives home because she had a long night. But I still want to see her, I want to know how the procedure went.”

“Obviously it went okay, or she would have called us,” Oswald replied, “Stop worrying, Molly! Come and join me in the shower.”

Molly smiled as she entered the bathroom as steam rose in the air.

”That's an offer I can't refuse,” she said, and joined Oswald under the warm water.

Later on after breakfast, Oswald stayed at home with Gertie while Julian took the kids to school, and Molly took a drive back over to the clinic. She hadn't called River's phone again, keeping in mind the fact that she might be exhausted and sleeping after her long night in the operating room. But if she was still sleeping, she was sure another member of staff could let her know if all was well – she wanted to be able to assure Lily, who was waiting at home with Oswald and Gertie, that her Mommy was recovering and her Daddy Herbert would be back to take her home soon...

On arriving at the clinic, Molly asked for River and was directed to her office. She knocked on the door but got no reply, and then she knocked again. The nurse had said River was in her office, so clearly, she was not sleeping even after a very long night...

Was something wrong?

Molly turned the handle. The door was open. She went inside and closed it behind her. River was at her desk, she looked tired and tearful as she closed a small, thick notebook bound in black leather.

“Is Amy okay?” Molly asked, and then she set an envelope sealed with the logo of the underworld on her desk, “I hope Herbert's up and about today, I've got this letter for him – Ozzy's finally agreed to grant him residence.”

“ _I don't think he will ever get to read it,”_ River said quietly.

“What's that supposed to mean?”

River took a deep breath and began to explain everything.

“Amy made it through the surgery and it was a success,” she said in a hushed voice, “But there was something Herbert decided not to tell me about his method of tissue extraction – he swore it was safe, he said he had used it several times before on brain tissue with no complications. He neglected to tell me he had only _ever_ used it to extract brain matter from corpses during the course of his research. I didn't know that, and I authorised the use of that thing to go deep into his brain and take out tissue to repair Amy's damage. It saved Amy. He was right about the whole procedure, we removed the damage together and then he went under anaesthesia and had the donor tissue extracted – I'd injected it into Amy and watched as the combination of agents made it all fit together and heal her brain tissue... I was closing her up when the doctor leading the other surgical team came in to tell me Herbert had complications after the extraction. He had a bleed. They injected it with copy cells to repair the injury, but it didn't go deep enough....” River pushed aside the book containing Herbert's notes as she wiped a tear from her eye, “Amy will make a full recovery. But as for Herbert, I don't know if he will ever wake up. He's in a deep coma. He _never_ should have led me to believe that device was safe! It caused so much damage I may as well have shot him in the head!”

“It's _not_ your fault!” Molly insisted, “He loves Amy, he was desperate to save her, he took that risk for her, River!”

“And he should have warned me the device was untested on a live subject.”

“Then what?” Molly asked.

“And then, I would have refused to allow him to be her donor and that device _never_ would have been used!”

“And Amy would be dead right now,” Molly replied, “He must have known, River. He must have known there was a huge risk, and he took it to save her because no one else would have gone that far for her!”

River nodded, recalling what he had said to her before Amy's surgery.

“He gave me a message to give to her, in case something went wrong for him. I guess he knew he was taking a hell of a risk.”

“But wouldn't we all do that for someone we love?” Molly asked.

River gave no reply as she got up from her seat.

“Amy will be awake soon. She needs to rest but the healing agents will encourage a rapid recovery. Instead of weeks, she will be out of here a matter of days and feeling just fine. But for now, she can't know about Herbert. She can't have a shock like that after what she's been through. I won't tell her until the time is right, but you can go home and tell Lily that her Mommy is going to be okay. Tell her Daddy Herbert is working, please don't say more. I don't know if or when Herbert will wake up – the most likely answer to that question is never, and I can't tell Lily that, not after all she's been through.”

“Maybe Lucy can help?” Molly suggested, “This is a physical injury, there's no toxins involved, no risk of her absorbing anything harmful – you know she has healing powers.”

River paused for thought.

“Yes she could try, maybe that will work,” she agreed, “But I don't know, Molly. That device caused a hell of a lot of damage.”

“I'll bring Lucy by after school,” Molly promised, and then as River got up she paused to hug her.

“You should grab some sleep before you go home, you look shattered,” Molly told her, “Or shall I drive you home now?”

River shook her head, she was still visibly upset.

“No, I need to spend some time looking at Herbert's scans, maybe I missed something.”

“Let's just see what Lucy can do,” Molly reminded her, “Because I really do think she can help.”

“I hope you're right,” River replied sadly, “Because even though he didn't warn me about the untested device, I still feel that I failed him. We had a plan in case of a deep bleed, and it didn't work. _My_ emergency strategy didn't work, and that's a failure on my part, and it's cost Herbert everything.”

“I'll stop by with Lucy later on,” Molly said again, “Get some rest and go home, River, you can't be here twenty four seven.”

River gave a tired sigh.

“I know that, Molly. But I need to be here when Lucy tries her healing on Herbert. I won't be going home yet.”

“I'll be back later,” Molly said to her, “And maybe, we will have good news.”

“I hope so,” River agreed quietly, and then Molly left the office and headed for the exit, her heart aching for everyone involved in this situation.

Jax Sterling stood before Oswald's desk, declining a seat and a drink as outside the open study door, somewhere down the hall, an antique clock chimed the hour.

“We have covered the entire city,” Jax said, “I have even reached out to trusted mainland contacts – and there's nothing! It's as if Izak has vanished off the face of the earth. We did find a former hideout in the closed down fairground far down the other end of the river, almost at the edge of the city – but Coffinwood is long gone.”

Jax looked at him apologetically.

“We did our best sir. I can only apologise for this failure.”

Oswald paused to gather his thoughts and then as he sat at his desk he looked up at his longest serving General.

“You did your best, Jax. We can only assume Izak had heard of the price on his head and fled the city. I will not be ordering you to pursue him to the mainland, but the warrant for his death shall remain standing indefinitely should he ever return to our shores.”

“I wanted to put that son of bitch down as much as you did, sir,” Jax said as disappointment echoed in his voice.

“I know that,” Oswald agreed, “But we just have to move on from this. Perhaps some day he will return and then justice can be served, and as keen as I am to punish him for the harm he's caused my son, I have no desire to allow Coffinwood's actions to spark a potential war with the mainland. They won't help us with this one. They'll chalk it up as an internal city incident, nothing to do with them – but if Izak is ever arrested on their soil, they will be straight on the phone begging us to take him back and then, he will learn that revenge is certainly a dish better served ice cold. You did your best, Jax, if you can't locate him, he's not in the city.”

“Is there anything at all I can do to help, Oswald?” Jax offered as sympathy reflected in his dark eyes, “Can I help with Cain in some way?”

“Cain is very sick, all we know for now is that he was poisoned by the toxic batch of drugs that Izak was selling. We are yet to find out exactly what that means for him long term. Perhaps, if it safe to do so, you may be able to speak with him at some point, try and make him see reality. But for now, you've worked long hours with no rest, Jax. Go home, take a few days off, spend time with Carol and Alicia, I insist.”

Jax smiled at the thought of uninterrupted time with his family.

“Thank you, sir!” he said warmly.

As Jax left the room, Oswald picked up the phone, smiled at the thought of who he was about to call and then he hit the number on speed dial. It rang for a short time and Selina picked up.

“Good afternoon my dear, how are you and Ivy and your pregnant husband?”

“Dad!” Selina said warmly, “We're fine, Josh is resting, he's feeling a bit sore but that's to be expected. Ivy just left, she's gone over to see Penguin and Little Penguin, then she's spending the weekend over at the greenhouse and she's coming back Monday.”

“So you and Josh and the kids are having a quiet weekend together?”

“Yeah, we won't be coming over this Sunday, Josh has to rest. But we can make it next week.”

“I look forward to it,”Oswald said with a smile, and then he asked how the kids were, and spent the next hour on the phone talking to Selina about family, pushing thoughts of his anger at Coffinwood escaping justice far from his mind.

Having two kids in the car who were asking questions was a distraction for Molly as she headed over to the clinic after picking Lucy up from school. They sat in the back together, her and Lily, who had already asked how her mother was, and could she see her? Molly had told her yes, she could see Amy, because she was awake now and feeling stronger already.

“What about Daddy Herbert?” Lily had whispered with a look in her eyes that said she already knew something had gone wrong.

“He's not awake yet, he had some complications,” Molly told her, “But we're hoping he will get better soon.”

It was all she could say under the circumstances, but the haunted look in Lily's eyes made her shiver as the little girl added, “He would _die_ for my Mommy. Please don't let him die!”

Lucy was telling Lily not to worry all the way to the clinic as Molly drove on, feeling sad for the little girl who would get her mother back, but had probably lost her new stepfather in the process...

“I'll take Lily to see Amy,” River said when they arrived at the clinic, and then as they stood outside the entrance to the building, River looked down at Lily.

“You mustn't tell Mommy that Herbert's not awake yet. Just say you haven't seen him, he must be working... we can't let Mommy get worried while she's healing.”

Lilly paused for thought as she looked up at River.

“I can help him,” she whispered.

River smiled down at her kindly.

“Let's just focus on Mommy for now, I know she will be happy to see you!” she said brightly, then she took her by the hand, leading her inside.

Molly led Lucy down the corridor towards Herbert's room. Lucy was strangely quiet as she walked beside her. When they reached the doorway, she stopped walking as worry clouded a gaze that reflected the same shade as Julian's eyes.

“Mommy, I'm not sure I can help him... it feels like... “ she stepped into the room ahead of Molly, then walked over to the bed where Herbert lay deeply unconscious. Lucy placed a hand on his arm and stood there, watching as he remained unresponsive.

“Feels like what?” Molly asked in a hushed voice.

Lucy didn't explain further.

“I'll try,” was all she said as Molly joined her, then Molly watched as Lucy carefully placed a hand against his head, over hair that covered a small wound beneath it. She drew her hand back and looked up at Molly.

“He's not hurt any more, I fixed it,” she said, and then she frowned, “But it feels like he's not... _there_ any more. _Like he's not inside his body._ ”

Molly felt a jolt on hearing those words. River had told her Herbert was in a deep coma, and she had seen signs that he was in some kind of dream state, he was most definitely still alive... yet Lucy had just said something that seemed to contradict that entirely.

“Let's go and find River,” Molly said, “But don't say anything about Herbert to Lily or Amy. I need to talk to River privately about this.”

Then they left the room together.

Amy was resting in bed, with a large dressing covering the scar to her head. She was awake and smiled brightly as she talked with Lily, who sat on the edge of her bed. Lucy went into the room to join them and Amy looked over at Molly as gratitude shone her eyes.

“I can't believe how fast I'm healing!” she exclaimed.

“It's going to be a few days before you can go home, and then I'm still advising rest,” River told her.

“Where's Herbert?” Amy asked as she rested against pillows.

“Don't worry about Herbert,” River told her, “Just enjoy your time with Lily, she's got to go soon, then you need some more sleep.”

Amy was about to ask again, but River went out of the room and closed the door, then turned to Molly.

“Did it work?”

Molly shook her head.

”I don't know, River. Lucy said he's physically healed. A scan will confirm that. But she said something a bit odd, she said he's not in his body, he's not there any more.”

“Maybe his coma is so deep she can't sense activity in his mind.”

“I don't know,” Molly replied, “But he should be waking up now, she's healed him... He _should_ , but he's not.”

“I'll arrange for him to have the scan,” River told her, “And please thank Lucy for her help. I don't think there's more we can do but watch and wait and hope for the best. If he's still unresponsive by the time Amy is well enough to go home, she will have to be told the bad news. Let's hope he improves before then.”

Molly nodded.

“Yes, let's hope he wakes,” she replied, then River walked off to see her patient as Molly went into Amy's room to wait for visiting hours to end as she kept a smile on her face and avoided the subject of Herbert West.

The next few days passed by quietly for the Cobblepot family.

Amy was recovering rapidly thanks to the healing agents, and it wouldn't be long before she could go home with Lily to the house Herbert had only recently moved into. But Herbert wouldn't be going with them. He was still in a coma. River had waited to tell Amy the bad news, and the day before she was due to leave the clinic, she broke it to her. She had then spent time at her bedside speaking softly to her as Amy wept, and then when her tears had stopped, anger had reflected in her gaze as she demanded to know why the hell he had taken such a risk, when he had promised to be a father to Lily. River could only answer that question one way, saying that he had never been a father before, and so he had not thought about Lily when he had chosen to take the risk with the surgery to save her life. She was pretty sure when he had decided to be her donor he had not expected it to end like this. The only real mistake he had made was his overconfidence in his theory for extracting the tissue...

_Amy saw him, and cried again._

Then she asked Molly to bring Lily to the clinic, and Lily had insisted she could help, and Amy had looked at her kindly and said she was sure she wanted to help, but there was nothing she could do, and she had to let Daddy Herbert rest now. Lily was still insisting she could help him as Amy led her from the room. Molly thought about that child and her psychic ability and wondered if maybe she could help him:

_Lily had been right about Cain._

He wouldn't die, but he would be permanently affected by the toxins that had poisoned his mind. That was something Lucy couldn't lift out, because no gifted healer could touch poison of any kind. For now, Cain was being held in a secure cell at Arkham. He was more than out of touch with reality, he was constantly thinking violent and murderous thoughts, wrapped up in a reality that only existed in his own mind, believing Ronnie had been replaced with a robot, and that his whole family was in on the conspiracy.

A few weeks passed, then Molly and Oswald had tried to speak with their son, but seeing him so violent and filled with hate at the sight of them was too distressing.

_Four months passed by..._

Herbert's condition remained unchanged.

By now Amy had settled into the house in the woods and Lily had joined her. Lily had started school in the city, and after a few difficult days when certain other kids had been unkind over her pale appearance and whispering voice, she settled in after they realised that she wasn't a vampire or a ghost girl - her name was Lilly, and she was actually okay when they got to know her. Lily's fifth birthday had come and gone, with a handful of new friends and Lucy and Felix joining her party, along with Alicia - and Little Penguin, who ate most of her birthday cake, farted on the rug and then fell asleep and had to be carried back to the car.

Lily had settled in well. She and Amy both felt at home in Gotham.

And after four months in the clinic, Herbert was finally home, upstairs in bed, and it was Amy who insisted on caring for him. The time he had spent at the clinic had enabled River to show her how to look after him while he remained in the coma. River stopped by three times a week, but Amy did most of the work, and every morning, it was Jax Sterling who picked up Lily and took her to school. Sometimes Amy looked back on how she and Jax had met and when she did, she never failed to be surprised at the thought of it – her interrogator who had once almost cut off her finger was now a sympathetic friend who often helped out.

Sometimes Julian called the house to ask how everyone was doing. Amy appreciated his concern but didn't want to get too close – he had been very intense about their connection, insisting it ran deep, and he still mentioned he wanted to talk about their experiences at the asylum. But Amy refused, saying the past was behind her.

_Julian often wondered why he couldn't be like Amy and lay the bad memories to rest, but for him, it seemed the past would never let go..._

And then Molly and Oswald got an unpleasant surprise.

It seemed that despite his psychotic state, their son was planning to legally fight to be released from Arkham. He had committed no crimes officially, and because the stabbing had been covered up as an underworld matter, it wouldn't stand up in court as solid evidence to keep him detained. Cain wanted out. And when Molly and Oswald decided he might see reason if Josh went to speak with him, they didn't know exactly how badly this would turn out for Oswald's four months pregnant General...

The day had started off well for Josh as he sat up in bed with a hand to the bump that was now feeling slightly heavy below his rib cage. He was four and a half months pregnant and had already felt the baby move. They didn't yet know if they were having a girl or a boy, the three of them had decided to wait for the birth to find out. But that baby was lively, always moving around and that morning was no exception as Ivy put her hand on the bump and smiled as she felt a movement.

“Aww, baby's wide awake!” she exclaimed.

Selina was already up and she set coffee down next to the bed, then paused to lovingly kiss Josh good morning as he sat on the edge of the bed and smiled fondly at his wife.

“How does it feel to be the Mommy?” she said as joy shone in her gaze.

“This morning, it feels heavy and my back aches!” Josh exclaimed, putting a hand on the bump as he got up, “But I have to grab a shower and leave soon - I promised Oswald I'd speak to Cain.”

Ivy and Selina exchanged a worried glance.

“Are you sure that's wise? He _is_ crazy.”

“Selina, he's only aggressive to Molly and Oswald – he's fine with the staff, Jax went to visit him two weeks back and he said he was speaking almost like normal Cain again.”

“Almost,” Ivy frowned, “I _really_ don't think you should do this!”

“I'll be fine, he's got no quarrel with me.” Josh assured her, and then he headed off to the bathroom to shower and start his day.

Ivy and Selina were still worried when he left, but not quite so worried when they realised Molly would be driving him over to Arkham and waiting outside the cell while Josh visited Cain. Josh had looked away as he sat in the car and Selina had hurried out, reminding Molly that she hoped she was armed, just in case Cain got violent with her pregnant husband.

“You think I'd arm myself against my own son?” Molly had exclaimed, and Josh had heard the hurt in her voice. Ivy had joined Selina and they stood outside together as the car drove away, and Josh waited until they hit the main road before he spoke up.

“Sorry about that, they're just nervous about me seeing Cain after -”

“After hearing how crazy he is?” Molly guessed, “It's okay, Josh. I understand. But the visiting room is safe. They have armed guards nearby and I will be outside the room too, I'm sure he won't start on you – he's always got on well with you, and maybe he will actually listen. You might be the only one who can make him see reason now. He can't leave Arkham. He's there for his own safety.”

“But for how long?” Josh asked.

“I don't know, I'm afraid to think about that part,” Molly admitted, “But right now, at this moment in time, it's all we can do to keep him safe.”

“I'll try and make him see sense,” Cain promised her.

“I know you will,” Molly replied.

As they drove on, up ahead storm clouds gathered, rolling in from the water to reach land to start to cluster along the horizon where in the distance, Arkham stood tall and imposing against the stormy skies...

Molly was thankful of his company as she and Josh went through security checks and then a long walk escorted by armed guards through several locked doors, finally reaching a room where Cain sat alone at a table. There was an armed guard on the other side of the room, but Cain didn't seem troubled by his presence as he sat there looking so like a youthful version of his father, with his dark hair spiked and wearing a velvet smoking jacket. Molly looked at him through the two way mirror in the room next door and felt her heart ache: Poor Cain was sitting there like an impatient Ozzie, back in his youth, perhaps arrested and waiting for his lawyer to show up...

He tapped his fingertips on the table, and then as the door opened, he smiled to see Josh had come to visit. Molly stood there watching, feeling worried as she watched Josh walk over to Cain, but then her son reached for his hand, shaking it warmly, then he sat down on one side of the table and Josh sat on the other as Molly desperately hoped Josh would be able to help him, to talk some kind of reason into him...

Josh had sat down carefully, pausing to cradle his baby bump with his hand, then he looked across the table at Cain.

“How are you doing, Cain?”

Oswald's son shook his head, then he leaned closer as he lowered his voice.

“ _Believe me when I say everyone here works for the underworld! They do it in ways you don't know, Josh! It's not just Ronnie they've replaced... Jax Sterling, the robotic arm, remember that? Don't be fooled by him having it_ _removed and replaced with an ordinary prosthetic, that's just to fool you! They know you're smart, they know you would have worked it out. I think Jax was one of the first to be replaced. This is what my father is doing. He's replacing his people with robots._ _I'm worried you might be next._ ”

Then he sat back, looking at Josh with deepest sincerity.

Josh shook his head.

“No, it's not like that, Cain! Jax is very human. He almost died because his cyborg arm leaked connection fluid into his bloodstream. That's why he had to have it removed. The poisoning was very similar to what Oswald went through, remember when you was a kid, how worried you were about your Dad when he was sick with the industrial toxin poisoning? That was caused by getting exposed to dangerous chemicals in the river years ago!”

A flicker of pain showed in his eyes.

“I was eight years old,” Cain replied, “I remember that very well. But that was _before_.”

“There is no before,” Josh said, “All these thoughts about Ronnie and Jax being replaced, the conspiracy you've dreamed up – _none_ of that is real. Ronnie is currently living away from the city, she's taking a year out to recover from the revival process. And she _loves_ you, Cain. She knows you're sick and she wants to see you – as soon as she knows she's safe to do that.”

Cain's gaze darted about the room nervously.

”I can't see the real Ronnie any more! She's vanished!”

“That was a hallucination,” Josh reminded him, “It was caused by the drugs Izak Coffinwood gave you. They were from a bad batch.”

Cain slowly nodded. As he rose from his seat the guard on the other side of the room raised his weapon and warned him to sit, but Josh saw a look of fear in his eyes as he blinked away tears and waved the weapon away.

“I'm okay with him,” Josh assured him, and he got up too and stepped away from the table.

“ _I'm so scared!”_ Cain sobbed, and as he leaned towards him, Josh put his arms around him and Cain wept against his shoulder.

“It's going to be okay,” Josh said softly, “Don't worry, Cain. I think you're starting to realise you shouldn't try and use the courts to get out of here. You're sick, you need to get well before you leave this place.”

Cain abruptly stopped weeping as he leaned close to his ear and dropped his voice to a whisper.

“ _I can see they've already got to you. I KNOW you're not the real Josh any more. Let's see evidence of that, shall we?”_

And before he could draw another breath, Cain whipped him around, wrapping an arm about his throat as he held Josh in front of him, preventing the guard from taking a shot. There was a click as Josh looked down in horror to see Cain now had a knife held to his shirt, low down below his rib cage.

“ _Let's see what you're really made of!”_ he hissed, _“You're not Josh. The baby isn't real either! You're a mass of wiring just like Ronnie!”_

The door burst open behind them as a guard yelled to Cain to drop the knife, then as Molly pushed through and swung a guard's weapon against the wall it went off with a boom, shattering tiles.

“ _LEAVE HIM AONE! DON'T FUCKING SHOOT MY BOY, HE'S SICK!”_ Molly yelled.

Guards called to her to come back, but she had staggered into the room, dark hair hanging in her face after elbowing an armed guard who had blocked her path. She tossed her hair off her shoulder and spoke up.

“ _Okay son,”_ she said as desperation shone in her green eyes, _“You want to cut someone? Cut me! Let Josh go, he's four months pregnant!”_

Cain kept the knife to his hostage's belly as he looked from the armed guards to his mother.

“ _Prove you're not a robot!”_

Molly nodded as tears filled her eyes.

“Okay, if you let him go, I'll prove it.”

Cain shook his head.

“You first!”

Josh kept thinking of all the ways he could have fought to get out of this situation – but he wasn't on duty, he was unarmed and had a knife to his belly... Molly took slow, careful steps towards him as her gaze locked with Cain's. She raised a hand, glancing back at the guards. Behind them she saw medics in the corridor, ready to come in and restrain and sedate her son.

“ _Put the fucking weapons down, I've got this!”_ she called out, _“Underworld instruction – I'm ordering in my husband's name!”_

She heard weapons swiftly placed on the ground, then she stripped off her jacket and stood there with bare arms exposed.

“ _Give me that fucking knife!”_

Josh gave a gasp as Molly snatched it from Cain's grip. She angled the blade so the tip bit into her arm, and scraped a thin cut across it that began to shine red.

“See that? I'm _human_ , Cain! _Now let him go!_ ”

Cain gave a sob. He let go of Josh and shoved him. Molly caught him as he stumbled, then she pulled him aside as medics rushed in and slammed Cain to the floor as they fought to hold him down.

“ _Ronnie was right about you!”_ Cain yelled, _“She said I have to kill you all, Mom! All the family! You may not be one of them yet but you're in on this, you're doing this to me!”_

“I'm not,” Molly said tearfully, watching as Cain was forcibly injected and quickly slumped unconscious.

She led Josh from the room without looking back.

Josh was unharmed, but Molly insisted he use the maternity facility there to have a scan and check on the baby. The child was fine. Josh was fine too, just a little shaken up by his ordeal.

Molly didn't stop apologising all the way back on the drive home as the rain came down and lighting forked the skies as thunder rumbled overhead.

”I never meant for this to go so wrong!” she said tearfully as she stopped the car outside his house.

“It's not your fault, you didn't know this would happen,” Josh assured her.

She hugged him before he got out of the car, and then she drove away through the storm, heading for home as it felt like more tears could fall from her eyes than those clouds above could ever weep down on to Gotham City. Molly knew it now, Cain was lost. He was insane, and it seemed there was no hope of a recovery. They had been told his current state was as good as it would get, but after what he had done to Josh, at least he wouldn't be fighting to get out of Arkham, because he had just proved his instability – but it didn't make her feel any better as she drove on through the rain.

She had hoped today would be a turning point for Cain but instead, it had just served as a reminder that her son was insane, dangerous and would never recover. He would probably spend the rest of his life in Arkham, and knowing that ripped her heart to shreds as she felt sure Ozzie would be equally devastated. Their son was lost to them, lost to his own insanity and it seemed there was nothing they could do about it now...


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

“ _I'm okay!”_

As Josh said that, Ivy's green eyes were burning with anger.

“I'm not!” she said as tension rose in her voice and she paced the front room carpet as Selina looked on in alarm, then sat beside Josh as she took his hand, giving it a squeeze.

“Just calm down, Ivy!”

“No, I won't!” Ivy stopped pacing, turning towards them as the light caught on the delicate fabric of her dress, making it shimmer like a second skin, “Molly and Oswald sent Josh in there...” she looked to Josh, “The man who is carrying our baby via implant – and then,” she drew in a breath, glaring at Selina, “Their crazy son, crazy Cain Cobblepot – tried to kill him and the baby! What is there to be calm about, Selina?”

“ _They're my family too!”_

As Selina reminded her of that fact, Ivy's anger retreated as she looked at Selina, whose biological father was Oswald. And his son, _crazy_ Cain Cobblepot... was her half brother, _oh shit..._

“ _Sorry, Selina!”_

“It's not his fault, Ivy. He didn't choose to go insane.”

“He chose to take drugs,” Ivy said, “And he didn't think about the consequence – just like Molly and _your_ Dad didn't think about the risk to Josh when they sent you in to try and talk to him!”

“Enough!” Josh said firmly, looking from Selina to Ivy, “No one knew he was going to pull a stunt like that. Shall we just drop the blaming now, and start thinking about Molly and Oswald? I'm fine, the baby is fine, Molly was the one who took the biggest risk today – Cain could have killed her! She risked her life for me!”

“How the hell did he get hold of a knife in Arkham?” Selina exclaimed, “He's supposed to be in a secure cell!”

“He's a Cobblepot, his name carries power,” Josh replied, “He can get hold of anything in there if he isn't closely watched. But I think now he will be watched, all the time. They won't let him have the chance to do something like this again.”

Ivy fell silent for a moment.

“I'm supposed to be heading off to check on my greenhouse soon,” she said, “I think I'll leave now, my plants need me too. Look after him, Selina -” she shot a glance to Josh, “ _Please_ take better care of our child while I'm gone!”

“Hey, that's not fair -”

Josh didn't bother with the rest as she walked out, closing the door heavily behind her. He looked in confusion at Selina who shifted closer to him and placed her hand on his growing baby bump.

“It's her baby too,” she reminded him, “She's going to feel the shock of what happened as much as you do, just differently because you're carrying the baby now. Leave her to spend some time with her plants, it's what she needs, she'll be okay.”

Just then Maria came in from the garden and she looked to her parents in confusion.

“Why did Ivy leave without saying goodbye?”

“She was in a hurry, but she'll be back in a couple of days,”Selina replied, “You can talk to her on the phone later.”

“Okay,” Maria said, accepting the explanation, then she went back outside again.

Josh gave a heavy sigh as he sat there on the couch, trying to relax after what had been a hugely stressful and terrifying day.

“I'm starting to see what it's like, being a birth father,” he said as he turned his head and met Selina's gaze, “I'm carrying Ivy's baby – she's worried for me and the baby... I can only imagine how hard it must be for you.”

Love shone in Selina's eyes.

“No, it's not hard, it's wonderful!” she told him, “It's just that we both love you and we have to watch out for you and the baby as much as we can – just like you would watch out for me or Ivy if it was one of us carrying this little one. And Ivy is okay, she knows you're both fine. She just needs some time with her plants.”

Selina paused for a moment, and then as she spoke again, her voice trembled.

“Thanks for not hating Cain.”

“Why would I hate him?” Josh asked, “He's crazy, he can't help what he's doing.”

“That's why I love you so much,” Selina said as she placed her hand on his cheek and leaned closer, “You're so kind and understanding. You always see the bigger picture. I'll never stop appreciating that, Josh.”

Then she kissed him softly, and suddenly, in Selina's arms, Josh felt as if all the chill of the shock that had lingered with him had melted away. He kissed her softly in return, then the two of them sat there on the sofa, Selina with her hand on his baby bump as they enjoyed simply spending time together - the perfect reassurance that all was well after a terrible day that could have ended very differently.

Molly had just left the bathroom after cleaning up the cut to her arm and covering it with a dressing. It wasn't serious, she hadn't cut her arm too deeply, just enough to draw blood – and the last thing she had wanted after what had happened at Arkham was to wait around to have a medic dress it, because this was a scratch compared to the damage that had happened inside the mind of her son...

Oswald had been shocked to hear the news. He had got straight on the phone to Arkham and demanded to speak to the doctor in charge of Cain's treatment. He was still on the phone when Molly came back downstairs, and as she approached the study, she heard him ending the call, and he sounded upset. Molly stopped walking as Oswald paused to end the call, then he made another one, and now he was talking to Josh, apologising for what had happened.

Molly's heart was aching for her son. She felt powerless, this wasn't an enemy she could fight, this was the damage done to him by a toxic drug and it was permanent and incurable and it had left her son a raging lunatic and now they couldn't even take out the person responsible because Izak Coffinwood had left town. She didn't doubt a lot of people wanted him dead after the deaths caused by his bad batch of drugs – but even his death wouldn't make up for what had happened to Cain. Their son would never be normal again...

She went through to the front room and waited for Ozzie to finish his phone call. He had spoken with Josh, and she didn't doubt he would now be speaking to Selina and Ivy too, if she was home that day. The house was silent. Gertie was upstairs sleeping and Julian had taken the kids to the park after school. He was yet to find out what had happened at Arkham, and she didn't doubt he would be upset to hear of what had happened with Josh, especially as Josh was pregnant. He would probably worry about the effect the stress might have on the implant, but Josh was Oswald's General and used to difficult or even deadly situations – and although this must have been very different with him not being armed at the time and having the baby to worry about, she felt sure he would be okay now it was over and he was back home with Selina and the rest of the family. As for Cain, his situation was now in the hands of her and Oswald, she couldn't risk bringing anyone else into the situation again...

Not too far from the Cobblepot mansion, a house stood alone in the woods, once grand and fallen to decay, then renovated once more and it was a family home again, but it would be a happier home if Herbert was awake, Amy thought to herself as she called to her daughter, and on getting no reply, went upstairs to look for her.

Since coming home, Amy's recovery had been swift. It had been years since she felt this good, and the only thing to ruin it was the fact that the man she loved had almost lost his life to see her cured, and was still in a coma because of it. River said he was stable. He was strong and healthy and the complications he had suffered during the surgery had resolved. But he just wouldn't wake up, and even River didn't have an answer to that. No one knew why he couldn't regain consciousness.

Amy made her way up the stairs, calling softly to her daughter, knowing Lily had to be nearby to make herself heard in reply, because her voice would always be a tiny whisper. It seemed crazy, not wanting to yell because Herbert's closed door was close by. He was in the room next to the main bedroom, and she often spent the night in there, sleeping at his side just to be close to him, even if he wasn't aware of her presence.

As she reached the top of the stairs, she walked easily in her high heels, wearing a short dark dress that flattered her slender curves. She felt well again, she hadn't felt this good in years, and she didn't even miss her long hair any more – not since River had told her Herbert had said how beautiful she looked even with her head shaved, because nothing was in the way to hide her pretty face. It had been over four months since the surgery, and she wasn't ready to grow her hair back yet. She kept it shaved close, not caring about the scar on the back of her head. Herbert thought she was pretty with nothing to hide her face and if he woke up, she wanted him to see her like that again. _If_ he ever woke up...

“Lily?” she called softly.

Then she stopped, looking towards the open door...

 _I left his door open?_ She thought in dismay, and she hurried up the hallway to see Lily, who had just come out of her own room, and she was looking towards the open doorway as she hesitated.

“Lily, I'm sorry I left the door open,” Amy said as Lily looked up at her silently, “I should have closed it... have you been in there?”

“No,” Lily whispered, “You said I'm not allowed. But why can't I see Daddy Herbert, Mommy?”

Amy paused for a moment, she had kept so much back from her daughter, but now she decided, as it seemed nothing was going to change - possibly forever - it was time to try and explain in a way that would make sense to her little girl.

“You know I said Herbert saved my life by being my donor?”

Lily nodded.

“Well, something went wrong for him, he almost died and now he can't wake up because he's in a coma. It's like he's asleep but he can't hear me, I can't reach him to wake him. And he has special medication to help him while he's in the coma, he has a line in his arm and I don't want you to touch anything or go in there and get upset...”

“He was dead?” Lily whispered.

“No, almost, but he's alive, Lily...Do you get it, do you understand?”

Lilly stood there looking pale and ghostly as her wide eyes met with her mother's gaze.

“I want to see Daddy Herbert, I can help him wake up.”

Amy felt as if her heart was breaking. She forced a smile.

“I know you would love to help him but there's nothing anyone can do, he can't wake up, sweetheart.”

Lily was still looking up at her mother.

“I want to see him, Mommy.” she whispered.

Amy looked to the open doorway and nodded.

“Okay, you can see him. But remember he won't wake up. There's nothing to be scared of, he looks like he's sleeping.”

“He's _not_ sleeping,” whispered Lily, and she walked into the bedroom as Amy stood in the doorway watching. Lily walked over to the bed and stood there, looking at Herbert, who was on his back with his eyes closed, breathing slowly and deeply as if in a deep sleep.

“He's not in any pain,”Amy said as she went into the room and straightened the covers that were up to his chest, then she paused to fondly stroke his hair as she wished again that he would stir, but he carried on breathing slowly with his eyes closed, unaware of her presence.

“Mommy, I want a glass of water,” whispered Lily.

“Okay I'll fetch it for you,” Amy replied, “You can stay here, just get a chair and sit next to the bed. But remember he can't hear you, Lily.”

The little girl nodded and then watched as her mother left the room and headed for the stairs. Then she stepped closer to the bed, fixed her gaze on Herbert and closed her eyes...

Herbert West had known nothing after falling into deep unconsciousness, then suddenly the darkness had deepened as he was dragged further downward, left alone in a maze where mist swirled and echoes of the past came back to haunt him in the form of ghostly snatches of old shards of memory, where the reanimated dead staggered with teeth bared and body parts chased him down fog shrouded corridors. He didn't know how long he had been lost, or where this place was. It felt like being trapped in a bad dream, with no end of it in sight.

_And suddenly a small, cold hand was in his grip._

He turned as the mist swirled to see Lily standing there.

“Come with me, Daddy Herbert,” she whispered, and tugged on his hand as she turned away and started leading him towards a place where the mist cleared and the darkness gathered.

“Where are you taking me?” he said in alarm as he looked into the blackness.

“ _Home,”_ whispered Lily, _“You got lost. But I know the way back.”_

She tugged on his hand again, taking a step closer to the darkness. He followed. Then everything vanished as he felt a heavy jolt, and gave a gasp as he snapped his eyes opened and looked about the room in panic:

_He was back at the house._

_He was in bed._

_This was the spare room._

_Lily was at his bedside..._

She was standing there looking at him, and then she smiled brightly.

“Welcome home Daddy Herbert, I brought you back!” she whispered, and then she turned away and hurried from the room.

Herbert felt confused and slightly panicked as he tried to sit up and then felt pain. He paused to rip the line away that had been taped to his arm and it swung free, leaving the medication from the IV to drip to the floor as a trickle of blood ran from the needle mark in his arm. He felt weak and he couldn't figure out when he had returned home – but he was definitely home... And where was Amy? He gave a cough and tried to call her name, but his throat was dry.

“ _Amy...”_ he said, and sounded hoarse as he summoned the strength to sit up, then he pushed up his pillows and leaned against them, feeling far too weak to move from this bed as he looked to the open door, still trying to recall when he had come home. He didn't even recall waking up after the surgery...

As Amy walked along the upper hall, she handed the glass of water to Lily, who smiled brightly at her.

“Here's your water, honey,” said Amy.

“It's not for me, it's for Daddy Herbert. He's been sleeping a long time and his throat is dry.”

As Lily took the glass, Amy stared at her.

“No, sweetie, he can't drink that, he's not awake.”

“Yes he is,” Lily told her, “I woke him up, Mommy. Sometimes people get lost but they don't die, they just need to find their way home again.”

As she looked at Lily, she heard his voice further down the hall. He said _Amy_ , and sounded weak and hoarse...Amy caught her breath as tears of relief filled her eyes.

“ _You really brought him back?”_ she said tearfully.

Lilly nodded.

“How.. _how_ did you do that? How _can_ you do that?” Amy said as she gave a sob and started to smile at the same time.

“ _It's easy Mommy. I can do it because I used to be dead,”_ whispered Lily, then she smiled and turned away and went into Herbert's room, carrying the glass of water.

Herbert was too weak to move from where he rested against thick pillows, but he was able to take the water from Lilly and drink it down, and as he drew in a breath, he found the strength to speak.

“Where's your Mommy?” he said urgently.

“ _Right here!”_

He looked to the doorway.

Amy stood there looking well, so well that he instantly knew the treatment had been a success. And as she looked at him, tears of joy streaked her face.

“What happened to me?” Herbert demanded as he sat up a little more, determined to be upright in bed as she dashed over to him, then her arms were around him and she was clinging on and sobbing and laughing and kissing him as Lily stood back, watching their reunion with a smile on her face, and then she left the room, leaving them to talk while she played with her dolls.

“How... _How_ the hell did you just wake up? Lily said she brought you back! You were in a coma, Herbert!” suddenly annoyance flashed in Amy's eyes, “Don't you _ever_ take such a stupid risk again, do you hear me? River said that device was untested on a live subject. You are in _so_ much shit with me for that... but later...” she gave a sob, _“When I've stopped holding you! I love you so much!”_ she sobbed again, then embraced him, and they shared another kiss.

As Amy drew back Herbert thought about all he could recall.

“I remember being put to sleep for the procedure... I know the device wasn't tested but I just wanted to save you! And then I was trapped in this crazy dream, this dark place... then Lily was there and she led me out.”

Amy's eyes widened.

“She said...” she gave gasp, “She... she said that she could find you because she used to be dead!”

Herbert looked at her in confusion.

“All I recall after that is waking up. Lily said she brought me back. I don't know how...” he coughed, reached for the water and Amy grabbed it first, helped him to drink more, then he found his voice again.

“ _Lily_ brought me back?”

Herbert didn't know what to make of it, he knew what he recalled, but his life had been about science and fact, and _this_ was something unknown. But Amy had already made sense of it.

“You brought her back to life,” she said as she blinked away tears and smiled, “And then she returned the favour. My little girl brought you out of the coma.”

She hugged him again. He held on to her for a moment, then felt weak all over again and as she let go, she stepped back from the bed and took a deep breath, composing herself as she wiped her eyes and smiled again.

“I have something for you,” she told him, “I think you should sit there and rest and let me read it to you.”

“What is it?” Herbert asked.

She went over to the other side of the room, picked up an envelope and returned to the bed where she sat down close to Herbert, then she opened up the envelope, took out the letter, paused to look at him excitedly, and then she began to read.

“ _Dear Herbert_ \- oh, first name terms, that sounds friendly... that's good - _I am writing to inform you that my decision has been made and as of today, you are granted permanent residency in the city of Gotham, with the full protection of the underworld and immunity from prosecution by mainland authority. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you for assisting in the revival of Veronica Collins, and congratulate you on the successful treatment of your fiancée...”_ Amy playfully held up her hand as her engagement ring caught the light and sparkled, “I think he's hinting that he wants us to get married _really_ soon. I think that's a great idea, we should do it as soon as we can, as soon as you're out of that bed!” Amy looked down at the letter again, _“While your past is controversial I recognise the great contributions you will make to medical advancement and development of new_ _treatments in our great city. I consider you an asset to Gotham and to the family of the underworld. I extend a warm welcome to you and Amy and Lily, I hope your new life in this city will be a happy one... signed Oswald Cobblepot..._ YOU GOT THE LETTER! HE SAID YES!”

She gave a squeal of joy as she hugged him and kissed him again. Herbert was still recovering from the shock of suddenly waking, and now it was sinking in that even though he couldn't explain it, Lily had definitely had something to do with bringing him out of the coma. And Oswald had given him permission to stay. He was safe now, he didn't have to run any more, he was free to start a new life here in Gotham...

“Say something?” said Amy.

Herbert started to laugh.

“I'm awake.”

“Yes, you are!”

“And I got my letter from Oswald!”

“Yes, you did!”

Herbert paused for thought.

“How long was I... gone?”

Her excitement faded as sadness flickered in her eyes.

“Four months, four long, horrible months.”

Herbert gazed at Amy, taking in the sight of her looking so pretty with no curtain of hair to hide her face.

“And now I'm back...Remember the message I gave River, I said you looked pretty with your head shaved?”

“That's why I kept it short... still like it?” she asked, and then she giggled.

Herbert reached up and ran his hand over her cropped hair.

“It's very sexy,” he said softly, “I'm sure I'll appreciate it much more when I've got my strength back. I meant what I said to River, when I told her to tell you that. I think you look damned sexy.”

Amy smiled playfully as she looked into his eyes.

“Is this a kink you're discovering?”

“Quite possibly...along with the after thought that maybe you could shave it right off, that would look devastatingly arousing with lingerie, the open kind, black, wet look, maybe leather...”

“And shave my pussy too... Oh my god, you've just woken up and you're still too weak to get out of bed and your pupils are dilating. Are you hard?”

“In time, Amy. I need to get my strength back!”

“I think maybe we're not going to be an average couple, Herbert!”

He smiled too as their gaze locked.

“That's definitely an accurate conclusion!” he said, and Amy leaned in and kissed him again.

The news that Herbert was awake brightened the mood for River and for Molly and Oswald – after all the worry with their son, at least Doctor West's problem wa

s resolved. It made them feel hopeful, if West could recover, maybe there was hope for Cain... It felt like nothing was impossible, even River had said she felt more optimistic after Herbert woke from the coma, it reminded her that sometimes, life did give us miracles.

_But there would be no miracles for Cain Cobblepot._

Four months went by.

As the time passed, River met with the Arkham doctors and discussed his case. Herbert was back to his research and had been taking calls from Wayne Enterprises regarding a future project three months after he woke from the coma, and now Herbert had taken time out of his busy schedule to join a meeting about Oswald's son, simply because River had asked him to be there.

But they both agreed no healing agent could be used on Cain, because the nature of the toxin that had made him insane was too volatile – it would simply cling to any other substance introduced and absorb it, heightening the effects of his madness.

_River had guessed there were little choices left for her brother._

_But it all needed to be discussed with Molly and Oswald before a decision was made._

Herbert left the meeting early saying his skills were not needed here and he certainly played no part in the care of Oswald's son.

“ _I'll leave that to your conscience, River,”_ he said in a low voice as he gathered up his notes and left the meeting. 

River had sat there in silence for a moment, feeling the sting of his words. There were no easy choices for Cain, but she understood why West didn't want to know. For all the controversy that surrounded his past, he was a man who ultimately wanted to protect life, not to destroy or damage it in any way, and he was also right that this case was nothing to do with him. River also knew she would be the one who would have to talk to Molly and her father about options. She ended the meeting with a heavy heart.

In the time that had passed, as the weeks and then months had gone by, Molly had not given up hope. There had to be something that could help her son, she and Oswald both felt sure of that. Julian frequently reminded them that he had overcome all of his difficulties, he had survived against the odds. But Molly then reminded him that his problem had been very different to Cain's, and they couldn't really make that comparison. Cain's mind had been ravaged by a deadly poison that had stripped him of his sanity and no drug in existence could treat it...

By now, Josh was eight months pregnant.

The baby was fine, he was fine too, and taking plenty of rest while Ivy and Selina took great care of him. It was still on Molly and Oswald's minds that he had been placed in great danger on the day Cain had pulled the knife and no matter how many times Josh and his wife and Ivy and the kids came over to visit, Oswald still mentioned that incident, and still apologised for it. He worried greatly for his son, who before the drugs would never have harmed anyone, certainly not Josh, who he had always got along with so well. It was as if their son's personality was being eaten by that toxin, replaced by the madness that made him too dangerous to leave Arkham...

River waited until the time was right to talk to Oswald and Molly about Cain.

She chose a Saturday morning, when the kids were over at Jax Sterling's house to play with Alicia, and Luna, who had since returned home once Cain was held in Arkham, was staying the weekend with Fish. She didn't want the rest of the family hearing this discussion, because there was a difficult choice to be made. So it was just River in the house that morning, with Molly and Oswald – and Julian, while baby Gertie was having a nap upstairs in the nursery.

River sat on the armchair in the front room with Cain's notes in a briefcase beside her. She didn't get those notes out because she knew after what she said, it would have a hard impact on everyone and no one would want to look at the notes and see the evidence - they already knew how bad this was...

Molly sat between Oswald and Julian as they waited for her to speak. River looked back at them, gathering her thoughts as she drew in a deep breath.

“This is hard for me, as hard as it is for you because he's my brother. But Cain's condition won't improve. The chemicals in that drug ravaged his mind and it can't be repaired. He also can't carry on indefinitely in the state he's in – other patients who fell victim to Coffinwood are in identical conditions and all, including Cain, will also have life limiting effects due to the toxic nature of the drugs they took. Cain will remain psychotic and dangerous and eventually he will die and that's estimated to be a process that takes around two years.”

Molly drew in a sharp breath as she blinked away tears.

“ _He's dying?”_

Oswald looked downward as his eyes stung with tears.

“Oh shit, no...”Julian said under his breath.

River hated to go on with more bad news, but there was more that had to be said.

“As it stands now, the situation is, Cain will spend the rest of his life in Arkham, in a secure cell, because he is too dangerous to be released. And if nothing is done, that will be his – limited – life until he dies from his condition. But there is a way to stop this, and save him, but it comes at a price.”

Oswald looked intently at her.

“If there is a way to save his life, obviously we want to hear it, River!”

She looked at her father hesitantly.

“We can stop the insanity and the threat to his life by removing the toxin affected tissue and kill his violent and irrational urges and thought processes at the same time. But this would mean removing affected areas without replacement or repair, and then also giving my brother a lobotomy.”

Oswald stared at her.

“And this would cure him?”

“Yes, but as I said, it comes at a price. It means removing tissue that won't be replaced, in addition to the lobotomy. Its a very radial procedure, I'm not talking about a partial procedure. I'm talking about a very radical, risky operation that will leave him with a lot of damage. He won't be the Cain you know as your son any more. I can't even say he would ever be able to live independently after this – but it would mean he's not locked away for the rest of his life, and it would also mean he won't die. It will save him – at a heavy price.”

“ _No.”_ Molly said as she blinked away tears, “I'm _not_ going to allow this!”

“It's his only chance to survive!” Oswald said as he looked at her sharply.

Molly glared at him.

“And I remember a time when _you_ would have allowed something similar done to Julian, after he had his problems, when he attacked me and you wanted personal revenge for it, Ozzie!”

“Oh no, let's not go there, not after we fell in love and married, and two more kids came along... _don't_ dig the past up, Molly!” Julian said pleadingly “I love you both and the past is history. Everything from back then is laid to rest. Don't bring it up again, I can't do this!”

Molly shook her head as she wiped away tears.

“And I can't let our son go through that. It's going to destroy his life!”

Oswald looked sharply at her as anger blazed in his eyes.

“His life is already destroyed, Molly! It was wrecked the day he first took the drugs Coffinwood gave him! And he's going to die, we will be burying our son if we don't let him have the procedure!”

Oswald paused, taking in a slow breath as he saw hurt in Julian's eyes and pain in Molly's.

“We either save him or we let him die. Which is it to be?”

Molly turned her head and met his gaze.

“We let him decide. We ask our son what he wants to do!”

Julian shook his head.

“He's locked up in Arkham, he already thinks everyone is out to get him, that you and Ozzie are replaced by robots, he's _not_ rational! And even if he was, even if he still has a tiny bit of reason left in him, he won't agree to this. To him you're just plotting to kill him. That's how he will see it. I should know, because _I_ spent five years in an asylum being tortured for real!”

Tears sprang to his eyes. Julian was breathing hard and breaking into a sweat now, on the verge of a flashback thanks to the nature of this conversation.

Molly reached for his hand, grasping it as she realised he was shaking.

“I'm sorry if this is triggering you.”

“I'm not doing this, I can't discuss this, it's his life, I don't want him to die, but if you want to fuck with that and save him and leave him with pieces of his brain carved out, with damage so bad even River can't fix it, that's your choice. I'm not talking about this any more!”

Julian let go of Molly's hand, got up from his seat and walked out of the room.

Molly stifled a sob and then looked from River to Oswald.

“Maybe we don't have a choice to make. Keeping him alive, with that much damage, is just us being selfish, Ozzie! We're going to any lengths to save our son, but it's Cain we have to think about here!”

“I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to die deranged and locked away in Arkham,” Oswald said quietly, “At least with treatment it means he can come home and we can take care of him.”

“Forever?” Molly exclaimed, “Cain wouldn't want to live like that either!”

“ _So you just want to let our son die?”_ Oswald looked at her intently, “Molly, he's our son! Our child, and he needs _us_ to make a choice for him because he can't do it himself!”

Molly looked to River.

“What did Herbert West say? He was in on that meeting too, tell me what he thinks about this!”

River gave a sigh.

“He's in the business of creating life not destroying or diminishing it, that's how he sees it - and Cain is not his patient. He walked out, he made his feelings very clear. He wants nothing to do with this. I only brought him in on a consultation level to hear his opinion -”

“So even West, with his past reputation, is against this?”

River nodded.

“Says it all,” Molly remarked as she glared at Oswald, “We can't do this to our son, Ozzie. I won't let this happen!”

“ _So we do nothing, and wait for him to die?”_ Oswald exclaimed.

“Shut up, Ozzie. We don't have a choice here, there's nothing we can do to save him, not without hurting him - and I'm _not_ going to see more damage done to my boy!”

Molly got up and left the room.

Oswald looked sadly at River.

“We need time to think about this,” he said.

River nodded.

“But don't take too much time, Dad. He's getting worse by the day.”

Over at Josh and Selina's house, the mood was light. Ivy had returned from a trip to the greenhouse with four tiny plants with colourful bell shaped heads, and as she set them on the table where they raised up to catch the sun rays, Josh was resting on the sofa and he chuckled at the sight of them as he relaxed with his hand on his big heavy baby bump.

“If those are new Licker plants, I really can't do this – not today, I'm heavy, the baby's kicked me in the ribs six times and all I want to do is lie down!”

“They're not Lickers,” Ivy said with a smile, “These are innocent little plants. Watch this...”

As Selina came into the room she stood beside Ivy as Josh rested on the couch and they all looked on as the sun rays woke the plants, and the petals opened up as a sweet, soft singing sound came from the tulip shaped heads.

“It's almost like a lullaby!” Josh said in surprise.

“That's exactly what they do, they sing lullabies,” Ivy said, “And these are going upstairs in the nursery, by the window. They can sing the baby to sleep every night.”

Josh had his hand on his bump as he smiled down at it through the fabric of his shirt.

“What do you think about that, little one?”

He felt a kick and laughed.

“I think she approves!”

“Or he,” Selina reminded him.

Ivy looked excitedly from Josh to Selina.

“We'll find out soon enough, four weeks to go!”

“Shall we make another list of names?” Josh asked.

“Good idea,” Selina agreed as she sat beside him, “We have so many names to choose from... and we still can't pick one!”

“I think we'll know which one is right as soon as the baby's born,” Ivy replied as she gathered up the plants and left the room.

“So, shall we start again with more names?” Selina said with a smile as she sat beside her husband.

“Let's do that,” Josh agreed, and he took out his phone, ready to make more notes as they ran through possible names for the new addition to the family, who would be arriving very soon...

Next morning, Julian was up early, taking a run around the estate as he tried not to think about the terrible choice Molly and Oswald faced. Molly wasn't in bed when Oswald got up, and as he sat up and blinked away sleep, the door opened and she came in and closed the door quietly behind her.

“So... I've been talking on the phone to my Dad for hours,” Molly said as she sat beside him, “And I told him all about Cain. And he said to me that if we don't do something to help him, we won't be visiting him in Arkham in a year's time. We'll be laying flowers on his grave instead. He also said that with the kind of tech they have these days, they wont be carving great chunks out of his mind without being careful how they do it. So then I called River. She's not at work yet, I think I woke her up. I asked about how they would do the procedure and she said they would target certain areas, very small areas, and that Cain would be very different afterwards, but he's not going to be sitting in the corner staring at the wall, he will still be able walk and talk, some day he might even be able to have a life of his own again, if he's got the right support...he's just going to need us to look after him more, because this will leave him vulnerable. But I'd rather have him vulnerable and still with us than six feet under, Ozzie....”

She blinked away tears.

“I'm decided now. I'm with you on this. I think we should do what we can to save our son. Let him have the treatment. I hate myself for doing this to him, but we can't let him die!”

She gave a sob and Oswald put his arms around her, feeling a flood of relief as Molly wept in his arms.

“You're right Molly, we can't let him die, I'm so happy you agree with me on that,” he told her, “Yes, Cain will have the treatment. We are _not_ going to lose our son!”


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

“ _I want you to know I love you both. But I am so much against this I can't put it into fucking words! I do NOT agree with what's happening to Cain. I remember him when he was a kid. I watched him grow up. I love him like a brother, and I KNOW what a struggle he will have for the rest of his life after he goes through this! I was in a mess when I came out of the asylum. I got better thanks to River's genius, and some exceptional healing energy. But Cain won't have that kind of luck. I really do still love you both. But I hope you can live with yourselves - when he wakes up damaged, know you've saved him, but taken away his future. And I DO blame you both for that... But Cain isn't my son. I don't have a say in this. All I can do is be there for him because I understand the pain and struggle he will go through. But I don't need to forgive either of you for it – because it's Cain who needs to do that. You'd better hope he forgives you some day, but I'll understand if he can't do it...”_

As Julian's words ran through her mind, Molly stood in the corridor looking out the window as rain fell so hard it looked as if the entire world outside was drowning in it. Julian had been against the procedure ever since she had agreed to go with Oswald's plan. And now Cain was in surgery, not in Arkham, but at River's clinic. River was not carrying out the surgery, she couldn't bear to perform a procedure that would ultimately leave her own brother damaged, even if his life was saved in the process. But she had placed the task in the hands of her very skilled staff, and assured them both that as soon as he was out of surgery, she would let them know... Oswald sat quietly, comfortable in a waiting area while Molly stood by the window watching the rain as her heart ached and she thought about the baby boy she had given birth to eighteen years before.

“We always hoped he would one day run the underworld,” she said as she turned from the glass and looked at Oswald, “And now his future is over -”

”Not necessarily!” Oswald reminded her as he looked at her intently with his bright blue gaze, “River said the treatment is very precise. Yes, he will have damage. He won't be the same any more. But it also means he won't be insane or dangerous, and Cain is going to live. And he won't have the life we hoped for, no healing energy or agent can improve that for him because the trace left in scar tissue could pose a threat if it reactivated – so he can't recover fully, but he will still have a _life_ , Molly!”

She nodded, then blinked away tears.

“I want Julian here with us... I don't blame him for being against this, he's experienced the kind of treatment Cain is going through, but on a very different level, he was forced to undergo procedures, he was held prisoner in Ashecliffe Asylum... But he _must_ know this situation is different? Why can't he understand this is our only choice to save Cain!”

“He's too damaged by the trauma of what happened to him to see past it,” Oswald replied, “And he's not here yet because he disagrees with our decision, and the longer he waits around for Cain to come out of surgery with brain damage, after surgery he did not consent to, the more sweet Julian will be reminded of the ordeal he went through, for five long years. He has Ptsd, the door to the past will never close. I accept that and love him as you do, but Molly, he _can't_ compare his ordeal to our decision to save our son. It's not the same! I just hope when he shows up he will be more understanding.”

“ _If_ he shows up.”

Oswald reached for her hand as Molly sat down beside him.

“Julian will be here, he just doesn't want to wait around,” he told her, “He's had nightmares, Molly. He woke up last night gasping for air, shaking, terrified. I held him in my arms and he said he had a bad dream about his time in the asylum. Everything Cain has been through is bringing the past back to him, and today is no exception. We have to be patient with Julian, this is hard for him to handle, it's stirring too many terrible memories.”

Worry clouded Molly's eyes.

“I didn't know about the nightmares.”

“I never would have known either, but he woke me accidentally,” Oswald replied, “He's been keeping his fears quiet, even though he doesn't approve of the choice we made, he was determined not not to add to our worries by sharing his own fears. And he will be here soon, he's just waiting until Cain's surgery is over.”

“I really hate this, the way it's dividing us,” Molly said, “But we had to do this for Cain – we had no other choice!”

Just then Molly heard footsteps quickly approaching and looked up to see Julian hurrying towards them. He looked very nervous, clearly uneasy to be at the clinic while Cain underwent a procedure against his will. Everything about the situation was making Julian feel as if life had turned into one big continuous flashback to his own past ordeal, but he couldn't have waited at home any longer. He hadn't shared his thoughts with Molly and Oswald about this, but he was the only one who had tried to persuade them not to put their son through this. He was also the only one who could help him understand what he was going through, because of his own past and the terrible experiences he had lived through. If there was one positive thing to come out of it, maybe, he considered, it was the fact that his own terrible ordeal had given him experience to help Cain after he woke up, his life changed forever, and not for the better, too...

“I didn't want to get here too early,” Julian said, and he stood by the window, glanced to Molly and Oswald and then looked out at the rainy view of the parking area outside, “Cain should be out of surgery soon. I spoke to the kids about it. I know you and Oswald have already done that, but I don't think they actually understood, Molly – Felix was expecting Cain to come home and be the big brother he remembered...” he turned to face them as his gaze fixed on Molly, “He's too young to remember what I was like when I was rescued from Ashecliffe. So I had to tell him what brain damage and injury meant and why his brother would find life a hell of a struggle from now on.”

“Were saving his sanity and his life!” Molly reminded him firmly.

Julian nodded.

“Just remember that,” he said bitterly, “Remember what a _great_ thing you've done for your son when he's having a bad day and can't tie his fucking shoe laces, or he can't feed himself, _then_ remember you did your _best_ for him! I would _never_ have put Cain through this. I would have let nature take its course and then his suffering would have ended. I'm sorry, I love you both but as I said before, I _know_ how much he will suffer – I've been there myself! It's not fair on him, Molly!”

“ _And you know we couldn't sit back and let him die, Julian!”_

“Let's stop the disagreements,” Oswald said as he got up and limped over to him, “What's done is done and now we have to hope for the best – and I know how deep this goes with you, Julian – but Cain is eighteen years old and he could learn to adapt and get on with some kind of a life, even after this! And he's going to need all of us.”

“ _If_ he still wants to be around _all_ of us...” Julian muttered.

Molly looked at him sharply.

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“It depends how Cain sees things when he comes out of surgery and finds every day life a hell of a struggle. Is he going to thank you and Oswald for that?”

Molly got up and walked over to join them both as she looked hard at Julian.

“I know this whole situation is reminding you of your past, but this is about Cain!”

“And I realise that you can identify with his suffering,” Oswald added, “But please, try and see our reason for deciding to put him through this.”

“ _I do,”_ Julian said as his hazel eyes met with Oswald's gaze of arctic blue and sparked with anger, “ _I see your reason clearly! It's misguided, it's selfish, it's a desperate need to keep him alive no matter what!_ But I'll shut up now. I'll just wait until you go and see him and realise what you've done to your son, and I won't say another word about it because I do love you both, I keep reminding you of that because I need to keep reminding myself! _I can't believe you chose this for Cain!_ ”

As Oswald glared at him and Molly looked on in disbelief, Julian turned away and walked off up the corridor.

“I get why he's upset,” Oswald said as he blinked away tears, “But we have done the right thing, Molly. It's the only chance Cain has to survive and regain his sanity. Julian finds this whole situation hard. I'm sure he will come to terms with it in time.”

“I hope he does,” Molly said quietly, and then they sat down again, waiting on news of Cain, and while they waited Julian was absent, choosing to wait alone as he watched the clock because right now, knowing the struggle Cain faced thanks to Molly and Oswald's decision, he really didn't want to be close to either of his spouses...

Molly had just called home and thanked Jax and Carol for coming over to watch the kids. All was well at home, and knowing that set her mind at ease somewhat – at least she didn't have to worry about the rest of their children...

River met with them shortly after, and Julian was at her side. She told Molly and Oswald that Cain had come through the surgery with no complications. He was recovering, but it would be a few hours before he started to wake. She warned them again that there would be changes to his personality, that they might find this upsetting, but they were just thankful their son was alive and no longer insane or dangerous. Oswald remained optimistic that some day, Cain would be able to rebuild his life.

_Julian said nothing._

He waited by the doorway, watching as Molly and Oswald spoke softly to their son, who slowly woke in confusion and then started to cry like a frightened child. His speech was slurred and his movements unsteady. Oswald had tears in his eyes and Molly wept as she turned from his bedside.

“I'll talk to him,” Julian said, and despite how hard he found this situation, he sounded confident and determined.

Molly and Oswald stood away from the bed, too upset to try and speak with Cain, who had a very visible vertical scar that ran from his hairline straight down to just above his eyebrow. It was a visible, nasty scar, and Cain looked pale and frightened as he looked up at Julian, who ran a hand over his dark hair and spoke softly to him.

”It's okay,” he told him, “I know it's scary, I know you don't understand what happened to you – maybe you don't remember what happened before, but you were very sick and your Mom and Dad had to make a difficult decision. But you don't have to be scared, I remember how I felt after I came out of the asylum, I was in a real mess. And there was a little kid who loved me like a big brother and helped me all the time. That kid was you, Cain. Now it's my turn. Let me help you get through this.”

Cain made a shaky movement, grasping Julian's hand.

“ _I... w...want to go h...home!”_ he sobbed weakly.

“You will, I promise,” Julian told him kindly, “As soon as you're stronger you're coming home, I'm making sure of it!”

He sat with Cain talking to him softly, until Cain slipped into a deep sleep. Then Julian left his bedside and joined Molly and Oswald in the corridor. All he had to do was take one look at them to see they were both devastated by the harm the surgery had done to their son. Saving his life and his sanity had certainly come at a price.

“I'm just thankful he came through this,” Julian said, “And I'm not going to talk about how much I was against this any more, I just want us to work together to give him a good quality of life.”

Oswald nodded and then he stepped forward, hugging Julian tightly. As he let go, Julian held out an arm to Molly, and then hugged her too, and then the three of them left the building and headed back to the car, feeling thankful Cain was alive and the worst was over. Now they just had to hope that caring for him wouldn't be too much of a struggle and that some day, he would have a good quality of life - if that was still possible.

As the days went on, Molly's sadness over the damage caused to Cain remained, but with it came a sense of relief that at least he had survived. He wouldn't die from the damage those drugs had caused. Nor would he die in an asylum. He was no longer insane and they wouldn't have to bury their son. She called her Dad on a regular basis, and he reminded her that they had done the right thing because there had been no other choice.

Then Molly heard the news that Hugo Strange was working on a drug to help the victims of Coffinwood's bad batch, but even Strange couldn't say when there would be a breakthrough. It could come tomorrow, or next year, or twenty years from now – or never...

Cain was slowly recovering from the surgery. He was healing but the physical effects would stay with him forever. He stumbled and slurred his words, he cried a lot. He had a slight weakness down the left side of his body. He was forgetful and slept a lot, and some days he didn't want to look at his parents or speak to them.

But he always reacted well to Julian, who had explained what had happened to him and why. Molly felt the pain of that, sensing Cain's rejection of her and his father. Although damaged, he had full understanding of the situation, even though he only recalled stabbing Ronnie and nothing that had led up to it, and this was something that sent him into crying fits that would last for hours.

By now, Josh was nine months pregnant and nervous about the birth of his child. Molly had sorted out some old baby clothes and blankets from when Felix and Gertie were newborn, and said they would make a nice handed down gift for the new baby. Julian offered to take the box over to Josh and Selina. _Anything to get out of the house._ When he wasn't exercising or working, he was actively avoiding spending too much time with Molly and Oswald, because after seeing what had happened to Cain, his memories of his time in the asylum were as painful as a fresh wound opened up all over again. He still loved them both, but he couldn't speak about his past trauma. He wished Amy would accept his offer to talk about their past experiences in Ashecliffe, but she was happy and settled down with Herbert, raising Lily and embracing a new life and Julian didn't know why he couldn't find coping with the past so easy, and just move on from it all...

Ivy was over at the greenhouse. Selina had gone out shopping and taken Nathan with her. Maria was at school. Josh was alone in the house and had just finished a call to Jax, where he had talked about waiting for the baby to come and how he was nervous but excited. In the past few months he had seen such joy and gratitude in Ivy's eyes as she looked at him, seeing him grow heavier, knowing he was carrying their child for her – such a gesture of deepest love. Selina had told him how awesome she thought he was for doing it.

But he didn't feel awesome that day, he felt tired and heavy and there was a dull cramping sensation below his ribcage and the pain ran all the way down from the artificial birth canal to the implantation scar deep in his ass. Sitting was painful and he had started to shift to his side, not wanting to put any weight on his ass. It had got worse since early morning. Three days ago, when it had first become noticeable, Selina had called the doctor to come and check him over, and she had told him it was just his body getting ready for the start of labour.

But today it _hurt_.

His hand was low on his baby bump as he opened the door and stepped back as Julian brought the package in and set it down in the hallway.

“Thanks,” Josh said, breathing slowly as pain flickered through his body, “Tell Molly that was a lovely thought.”

“There's a lot of stuff in there,” Julian told him, “I put in almost all of the stuff Felix used to wear - but not the leprechaun costume. I always called the kids leprechauns, because Molly's Irish, and it's a tradition in this family now, I always dress the kids as leprechauns when they're babies, and I'm saving the costume for Gertie for Halloween.”

Josh took in a sharp breath as he kept a hand to his baby bump.

”That's fine, we don't need the costume.”

“Are you okay?” Julian suddenly looked worried, realising Josh looked pale and was starting to sweat as he took in a deep breath and held his bump.

“No, I'm in pain, the doctor said it was the baby moving down, getting ready for labour! It hurts like hell today!”

Julian's eyes widened.

“I think you should go and lie down!”

“Why?” Josh felt a flicker of panic.

“I'm not an expert. I delivered the unit at five months, I don't exactly know for sure – but you might be starting labour. Has anything else happened today?”

“Some wet stuff came out of my ass in the bathroom, but it was just a small amount... “

“Just sit down!” Julian said quickly, and he put his arm around him and led him through to the front room, where Josh tried to sit on the sofa, but pain made him give up, so he turned on his side.

“I need to call Selina and Ivy.”

Julian saw his phone on the table and handed it to him.

“You call Selina and Ivy, and I'll call the doctor. Are you having a home birth?”

“Yes.”

“Okay... leave it to me...”

Julian made the call to the hospital, watching nervously as Josh lay on his side on the sofa, and as he drew his legs up close to his body, he realised Josh was certainly in labour. He tried not to panic as he spoke to the doctor, hoping help would come quickly, his own experience of birth had been too early and full of complications - and he was _not_ qualified or experienced in how to handle this situation...

Over at the home of Herbert West, the house was quiet. Herbert had quickly felt settled in the basement, his new lab had everything he needed – and now, as he tapped on the table and a pattering sounded as something scuttled towards him, he smiled.

 _It was a hand._ A severed hand, cut off just above the wrist and thanks to a perfect, exact dose of Re Agent, it was alive - and non threatening, In fact, it was friendly. _Very_ friendly...

He had kept it in a box while he waited to surprise Amy. She had seen him neatly sewing up the stump above the wrist and asked him what the hand was for, and he had told her it was just work. He marvelled at the fact that Amy embraced the nature of his work, and wasn't disgusted at the body parts he sometimes kept in a large freezer at the back of the lab. Part of his work into reanimating tissue was due to study he was doing for research for Wayne Enterprises. The rest... was his own business.

_The hand was certainly nothing to do with anyone outside of this house..._

He watched as the elegant hand with its warm, soft fingertips climbed to the back of his hand, then stroked it. He leaned closer, amusement dancing in his gaze.

“I think now you're out of your box, you're ready to meet Amy...”

Just then the door opened and Amy began to make her way down the steps to the basement.

”You said you had a surprise for me, what is it?” she asked, and he was still smiling as he stood at the bench, the hand stroking the back of his hand as he waited for her to notice what was moving on the table. Lily was at school, they had plenty of time to have fun with this, it was perfect timing...

As she reached the basement floor she walked over to him, the fabric of her black silk gown rippling. It was open and full length and beneath it, she wore a black lace bra and panties. The small studded choker she wore about her throat looked beautiful, Amy's lips were painted red and mascara shaded her eyes. She had kept her hair buzzed off to a shadow for now, because they both liked it that way. And she was horny, she was always horny, he could see that look that spelled desire in her eyes as she met him at the bench. Then she looked down and started to smile.

“ _Fucking no way... Oh my god!”_ she giggled, “A _hand,_ Herbert? What could we _possibly_ get up to with a _hand?_ ”

“I like the way you think,” he replied, “It's for you, because I'm busy and often working and it's much more fun than a vibrator... sit down.”

She pulled up a chair and sat down, giggling again as the hand, pale and flawless with short nails painted red, was placed on her thigh.

“A call girl who was well known for her skill in erotic massage was killed in a car accident,” he explained, “I had access to the morgue, so I took the hand, brought it home, tidied it up and very carefully gave it life. A life of its own... Try it out, Amy.”

She laughed as she looked down, watching the hand walk up her thigh as she parted her legs.

“ _Oh wow...”_ she murmured.

Herbert reached for the fabric of her panties and pulled it aside, watching as Amy leaned back in the chair, giving a gasp as its fingertips expertly slipped into her slit and began to massage her clitoris.

“Happy?”

“ _Yes!”_ she gasped again as the hand increased its rhythm.

Herbert watched, getting hard but deciding sex would have to wait because he had work to do and wouldn't be finished up until later that day. But it was good to see Amy thrusting her hips as the hand made her come, then it dipped a finger in and out of her, bringing with it a trail of wetness as her face flushed and she gave a sigh.

“Keep it in this,” he said as she breathed hard and sat up straight again, handing her a wooden box, “It will stay warm and fresh but remember to wipe it down each time you use it.”

Amy smiled as she put the hand in the box, then she closed the lid and got up and paused to lean closer to Herbert.

“I need you so bad, Doctor West!”

“Tonight, later – much later,” he told her as he kissed her briefly and then drew back, “You know how it is, Amy – I live for my work and my family – in _that_ order!”

Her gaze lingered on him for a moment, then she looked down at the box in her hands.

“Can we call it Thing?”

Herbert chuckled at the thought.

“If you want to!”

Amy was still smiling as she turned away, carrying the box towards the stairs.

“Come on Thing,” she said, “You and me are having fun tonight with Herbert, I'm tying him up later on.... unless it's his turn to tie me up... as for you - do what ever the hell you want, to _both_ of us! Oh, this is gonna be _SO_ much fun!”

Herbert turned his attention back to his work, still smiling at the thought of naming the living sex toy _Thing_. It was just another reminder of why he loved Amy so much. He had never realised how lonely he was, his life wrapped up in his work, until she came along and now, he truly felt as if nothing was missing from his life.

By now Selina was back at the house. She had settled Nathan and then called Ivy to say she needed her to pick Maria up from school, and take her over to Carol and Jax, because Josh was in labour and it was advancing quickly. By now the midwife had arrived, and while Josh lay on his side upstairs on the bed and breathed through contractions, Selina briefly let go of his hand to hurry downstairs to speak to Julian before he left.

“Thank you so much,” she said.

“I didn't do anything, I only made a phone call,” he replied, “I wish I could do more to help but I'm no expert. I didn't get to nine months carrying my implant.”

“You did more than enough, thank you so much!” Selina said gratefully as she hugged him, then she stepped back and looked up the stairs.

“I'd better go back up, Josh needs me.”

“And Ivy will be here soon,” Julian reminded her, “Good luck, I hope it all goes well.”

Selina nodded, then hurried back up the stairs. Julian left the house and went back to his car, keen to hurry home and tell Oswald and Molly the good news that the baby was on the way.

Molly had called the clinic to check on her son. She had been told Cain was sleeping deeply, he had been upset and confused earlier, but had calmed down enough to sleep once more. Just the fact that he was sleeping and resting at last was good news, and she hoped knowing that would brighten Oswald's day, but as she entered the study, he stood there leaning against his desk as he read a letter deep in thought, as in his other hand, smoke trailed from his cigarette.

“Molly,” he said, still looking down at the letter, “Listen to this, it's from a company that hosts Halloween horror nights...”

He began to read:

“ _Dear Mr Cobblepot, since the closure of Ashecliffe Asylum on Shutter island, the building has remained vacant and some of it is in ruins, which makes a perfect venue for next year's location for our annual Halloween horror house. But being aware of its past, and of your husband Julian's ordeal there during the time of the illegal research and experimentation involving the Tetch Two virus, we have decided not to go ahead with the venue - unless you grant permission for us to do so._

_We ask with deepest respect, that we may use this venue for our Halloween horror house location. If you object, we will seek out another venue. Here at Horrors from Hell we have no wish to offend anyone, not yourself, the underworld or anyone else who had a loved one suffer at the asylum location during its tragic history. But we are a small business and Halloween is a big night for us, and our other venues have all proved to be safe and fun and provide good quality entertainment. So once again, we seek your permission to use the location. And we fully understand if you refuse, thank you for taking the time to read this letter...”_

He put the letter on the table and looked at Molly in confusion.

”They're asking me? I don't own the asylum!”

“No, but your reputation is bigger than anyone connected with ownership of Ashecliffe,” Molly replied, “And no one in their right mind wants to piss off the Gotham Underworld.”

Oswald drew on his cigarette and then put it out.

“I don't see any harm in the asylum being used for entertainment on Halloween. Providing it's checked over for safety reasons first, some of the structure might not be sound. But I have no objection to a business trying to make money. I will speak to Julian about this first, and if he agrees, I'll call them and grant permission.”

“ _Speak to me about what?”_

Julian had just walked into the room.

“Josh is in labour,” he announced, “Ivy's on her way, Selina's with him and the baby could be born very soon!”

“That's good news,” Molly said with a smile.

“And what is this other news?” Julian looked at Oswald.

“This,” said Oswald, and handed him the letter.

Julian's hand trembled as he held it and read the contents.

“ _Why did this have to be about the asylum? Since all this happened with Cain I'm getting even more flashbacks about Ashecliffe!”_

“I won't let them use the place unless you're okay with it,” Oswald replied.

“It's just going to be a Halloween horror house for one night, and they're a small company, they probably need to secure this to stay in business,” Molly added.

Julian paused for thought.

“It's crazy, I'm half afraid to think about the place and half turned on thinking about how we replay my memories of it in our sex room! That place fucked up my mind...”

“And it's just a building now,” Molly reminded him.

Julian hesitated, then he looked to Oswald.

“Okay, let them use the place. I don't want to stop a business earning money, let them use it.”

Oswald smiled.

“I'll make the call and speak to them today,” he replied, and then he stopped, pausing for thought as a sparkle came to his eyes.

“As they need my permission to feel able to go ahead with this, maybe they can give us a private viewing of the place before opening night,” he said, and Julian looked at him in alarm.

“ _Us?_ You seriously expect _me_ to go back to Shutter Island?”

“Yeah, why would you ask him to do that, Ozzie?” Molly added.

But Oswald had thought up a plan, and he limped over to Julian and put his arm around him as he looked into his eyes.

“I have an idea, sweet Julian... and think you will like it. We ask for a private viewing of the place and I slip in a deal where we get to have some private fun. Maybe I could hire some extra staff that night, the kind who will go along with a re enactment of our fantasies, Julian... And we get to have a good time and on top of that, you've been back to the asylum and faced your fears. It might even help your bad memories, perhaps even lay them to rest.”

Julian shifted uncomfortably as he briefly reached below the waist of his jeans, unable to resist touching his sudden hardness at the thought of his fetishes coming to life in the very place that had created them in the first place.

“Oh shit, that could be wild... and scary!”

Oswald smiled warmly.

“And we would both be with you,” he assured him, “The three of us could use the evening for some private fun of our own.”

“I'm pretty sure this company will agree to it,” Molly added, “They're shitting their pants about asking the boss of the underworld's blessing to use the place, they'll agree to anything!”

Then her smile faded as she felt guilty for even allowing a moment of joy and arousal and a sense of fun...

“What about Cain?” she asked quietly.

”This is next year,” Oswald reminded her, “Cain will be home soon, he's got a whole year to settle back here and get used to adapting to life again. We have plenty of time to look forward to this, and to focus on Cain.”

Molly nodded.

“Okay, that makes sense.”

Julian started to smile.

“If they agree,” he said, “This could be the wildest night of our lives!”

“The things that money can buy!” Molly exclaimed, but she felt warm and wet at the thought of Julian restrained in that asylum, with Doctor Cobblepot dominating him... the place was vast. They could easily secure an area for their private fun, with little inconvenience to change the place around for opening night.

“This could be just what we need,” Oswald added, “After all the sadness with Cain's situation – something for us to look forward to next year.”

“I think you're right about that,” Molly replied, and then she left the room to make tea for Oswald as she tried to remember this would be next year, and she shouldn't be feeling guilty about allowing herself something to look forward to because of Cain, but the sadness lingered as she thought about her son and how his life had been devastated. She guessed that feeling would always remain...

Josh had lost track of the time as he lay on the bed, pushing as more fluid gushed from his ass as it started to go numb. He could still feel pain inside as the chemicals in the unit pushed the baby downward, and he could feel a stretching sensation as his body began to open up.

“You are so wonderful and unselfish,” Ivy said as she clutched his hand, pausing to wipe sweat from his face as he panted and pushed again.

“Ivy's right, Josh. You're incredible, taking this pain for her. We love you so much,” Selina said softly, as she held his other hand.

The midwife told him to push again.

He trembled as he pushed hard, then another wave of pain ripped through his body. Childbirth was not easy...

“You can do this,” Ivy said to him, holding his hand tighter, “We're both here for you, Josh – push again!”

At the Cobblepot house, Molly had just brought a tray into the front room and set the tea down. Oswald and Julian were on the sofa, and for the first time since Cain had fallen ill, Julian was smiling at the thought of next year and their Halloween adventure. She had heard Oswald say, _I want all your dreams to come true, Julian - even the darkest ones...”_

“I love you so much,” Julian had told him softly.

And it suddenly felt like they were getting closer again, healing after the ordeal of having no choice but to condemn Cain to a lifetime of struggling, but he was alive, he was saved and he would have a future, here with his family to take care of him...

Then Oswald's phone rang. He set his tea aside and took the call.

Hugo Strange was on the other end of the line.

“Oswald,” he said, “I have some news that will bring hope to many but I'm informing you of the development first, with a heavy heart...”

Molly and Julian looked on as Oswald listened, then blinked away tears and thanked Strange for calling, and then he said he had to go, and ended the call.

“Ozzie?” Molly said as worry crept into her voice, “What's going on? What did Strange say?”

Oswald got up and looked to the window, blinking furiously as he fought the tears that stung his eyes. He couldn't look at Molly, or Julian as he rose from his seat, asking what was going on.

Oswald gave his reply in a hushed voice.

“It seems Hugo Strange found that breakthrough. He has found a drug to counteract the effects of the damage caused by Coffinwood's poisoned batch. All the remaining victims will make a full recovery. _But not Cain, because we didn't wait. We put him through surgery that's irreversible, we damaged his mind and we have to live with that..._ ” he looked tearfully from Molly to Julian, “You were both right, we _never_ should have put him through the surgery!”

Oswald limped quickly from the room.

As Molly looked at Julian, she dragged in a breath and gave a sob as he pulled her close. He didn't want to say a word, because there was nothing he could say to ease their devastation. He had warned against the surgery. Now Cain would suffer for the rest of his life – all because they had moved too fast and not held on for just a few more weeks, when the cure had been discovered... Molly's green eyes were filled with tears as she gave a sob.

“ _What have I done, what have me and Oswald done to our son?”_ she wept.

“It's not your fault, you didn't know this would happen.”

It was all Julian could think to say as he held her and she wept again for her son, feeling sure that she and Oswald would never be able to forgive themselves for the choice they had made...


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The hard pushing had been going for what felt like an hour. Ivy had said twice just a few more and the baby would be here, and Selina had said this would soon be over. Pain blurred it all as Josh pushed again, feeling the worst of it deep inside as the implant released more chemicals to ease the baby down the artificial birth canal. His ass felt wide open, and the stretching was painless thanks to the fluid that had gushed out first, but deep inside, the agony was still there as he pushed again, giving a yell as he felt soaked in fluid and them more gushed out, along with a sense of pressure, and then release as all pain lifted.

The baby gave a healthy cry.

Ivy was crying with joy.

“ _We did it!”_ she exclaimed.

Selina kissed Josh as tears filled her eyes.

“She's beautiful!” she told him.

The midwife reached for the remains of the implant, it slid out like a deflated balloon and that burned for a second or two, then Josh felt as if everything was going tight very quickly, and it was bruising, too. But he didn't care about that as their little girl was placed in his arms. He couldn't stop smiling as he looked into her bright green eyes. Her hair was red like Ivy and she had his smile as she looked up at him.

“She's _so_ precious!” Selina said joyfully.

“And we know what to call her,” Ivy added, recalling the long list of names that they had shared and discussed.

“Yes we do,” Josh said as he held their newborn close and then Selina handed him a bottle, and he started to give the baby her first feed, “We've talked about your name for months, little one...”

Ivy reached out, stroking a lock of their daughter's fire red hair.

“Welcome to the world, Flora,” she said softly.

The next few weeks passed in a joyful rush for Josh and his family, as they got used to life with baby Flora while young Nathan was starting to walk and Maria enjoyed spending time with both her younger siblings. The Cobblepot family came over to visit, at first Molly and Oswald and Julian, then Molly brought the kids over. Little Penguin was thrilled to meet the new baby, and his father was proud to hold Ivy's child as he smiled broadly for a family picture. Jax and Carol brought Alicia over, and they brought gifts for the baby, too. For Josh and his family, life was just about perfect, and with several months leave ahead of him, Josh had plenty of time to enjoy with Flora and the other kids before he had to go back to work. These were precious first weeks and months, and they would all cherish every moment.

For Molly and Oswald, life was not going great. Cain was home by now, and when he wasn't sleeping or crying or needing help with his daily life, he was behaving like a child when he didn't get this own way, throwing tantrums – one of which had seen him knock a glass of juice over the table, and all over Luna, who was ready to go out shopping with Fish.

“ _Stupid retard!”_ she had said in temper, and it had taken some angry words from Molly and a lot of shouting from Oswald - and then a quiet word from Julian, as he explained that Cain couldn't help it, and that she needed to be more patient - before Luna apologised.

Looking after Cain was draining.

He was difficult, and often pushed his parents away.

Molly could handle that from a sulking toddler.

But _not_ from a grown man of eighteen...

Julian stayed quiet about how he felt about the situation. He could see Molly and Oswald were suffering enough and he didn't want to rub salt into the wound by reminding them that they should have waited, and then Cain would have had the new treatment and _this_ wouldn't have happened... Instead, he remained supportive to Cain, by now his term as mayor was over and he had never felt more certain his choice to stand down was for the best – Cain needed his help every day, and it seemed he was the only one in the house who Cain could still get along with.

Julian had explained everything to him, especially about the reason why his parents had put him through the surgery. Cain understood, but how much of it he could process emotionally was unknown, because sometimes he went silent, other times he just cried. And he spent most of his time in his room, not wanting to leave it, even to be around family. Again it was Julian who tried to encourage him to get up and go downstairs and most of the time he failed, but even then he still spoke to him kindly, trying to get through to him. Cain felt isolated.

“Your Mom and Dad love you,” Julian reminded him as he sat on the edge of his bed.

Cain was resting against his pillows, in bed and looking towards the window where light fell in through a gap in the velvet drapes.

“And you can't live in the dark!”

“No one wants me...like... _this!_ ” Cain said bitterly, his words jarred as he struggled to speak. The scar on his brow was deep and the way he spoke and struggled to walk, it would be easy to mistake him for drunk by those who didn't know him.

“That's not true,” Julian told him, “And if Strange had found a cure for the toxin sooner, you wouldn't be struggling. At the time, your parents thought they had no other choice.”

Cain's dark hair hung limp, his face was pale and his eyes were red from crying.

“ _I...I'm f-fucked!”_ he said tearfully, _“Look...at me!”_

Julian hesitated for a moment. Molly and Oswald were feeling so damned guilty over the state their son was in, they tried to make up for it by protecting him, keeping him home, trying to force their love and care on to him – and all it was doing was stifling his chance to adjust. Molly had said she didn't want Cain ever having contact with Ronnie again, for fear of old memories of his hallucinations and crazy thoughts rushing back. But Julian had asked River if seeing her could do any harm and River had said, it might upset him as he remembered what he did – or if he was told about what had happened – but Julian had already explained it all carefully, so he understood he had not been in his right state of mind when he had attacked Ronnie. Cain had cried over that so many times. Now, perhaps it was time to move on from it – Julian knew from his own experience that he got better because he started to live again. Cain would never physically recover, but he would be happier if he could emotionally get over what had happened.

Julian felt more than a little guilty for the fact that he had kept a secret from Molly and Oswald – he hated lying to them, but for the past few weeks, he had been in touch with Ronnie. She was living comfortably on the coast, far from the city, taking a year out while she recovered and she was doing just fine. When she resumed her work for Oswald, she wouldn't be struggling to functioning – she would be enhanced in her abilities, she would be the finest operative he ever employed...

_But she missed Cain._

_She was longing to see him again._

_And if Molly and Oswald didn't like it, Julian didn't give a fuck, not after what they had done to their son._

_Every time he looked at Cain, he thought about his own past and the mess he had been in when Oswald had busted him out of the asylum years before._

_Nothing was impossible, Cain's life could get better._

_He wanted him to have a good life, and he was going to make sure he knew happiness again..._

Julian got up and opened the drapes. As sunlight fell into the room, Cain turned away from it.

“No...”

“Cain, listen to me,” Julian said as he stood over him, “I want to help you.”

He drew a picture from his pocket, handing it Cain, who held it in a shaking hand as tears formed in his eyes. It was a picture of Ronnie on the day she had passed her test and become officially employed by Oswald.

“ _I...love... her!”_ Cain said tearfully.

“And she _still_ loves you!”

Cain's jaw dropped as he looked up at him.

“She... loves...me?”

“Yes, she does! I spoke to her – don't tell anyone! I'm going take you to see Ronnie, but you have to start trying harder. Get up in the morning, I'll help you get dressed. Don't spend your life shut away in your room, you don't have to, you can still live your life.”

Cain gave a sob.

“I..I _hurt_ her!” he wept.

“You was sick at the time, you didn't have control over your actions and she knows that! She still loves you, Cain!”

Cain stopped crying. He looked down at the picture of Ronnie, and then back up at Julian.

“ _I want....to....be with Ronnie now!”_

Julian nodded.

“Okay, you want to be with Ronnie... I'll see what I can do. But you have to try harder, you need to be well enough to get out of bed and get out of the house,” he told him.

Cain smiled as gratitude shone in his gaze. In that moment he reminded Julian of the kid he used to be.

“I'm _so_ happy!”

“You will be, when you see Ronnie.”

Then he got an idea.

“Calm down, stop crying and I'll help you get cleaned up. I'll spike your hair and help you put on a nice suit and then you can call Ronnie, on my phone – you can talk to her on video.”

Cain turned to him and hugged him tightly.

“ _Thank you...”_ he wept, _“You're the only one wh...who...l-loves me... you're my family now!”_

It took Julian a few moments to persuade Cain to let go, and then he helped him to the bathroom, where he showered and then got dressed and spiked his hair – all with Julian's help. And while he was helping him, Julian thought about what he had said – it really wasn't surprising after what Molly and Oswald had put him through, of course Cain resented them for it. He hoped in time he would feel differently, but if he turned his back on the family, he would understand that, too. Cain felt as if he was the only one who cared because he had been the only one who had tried to stop them going ahead with the surgery. Julian wasn't even sure what impact this would have on his marriage ultimately, if Cain decided to leave and start a new life with Ronnie. Neither Oswald nor Molly would forgive him for encouraging that, when all they wanted to do was protect their son and hold him close... But that was a long way off. Cain had a lot of recovery to do before he could even think about making a journey to see Ronnie again...

Ronnie was sitting at her table by a wide window that gave a view of the beach and the sea beyond it, but today the skies were rainy and the sea was choppy, not that she cared about the view as she turned from it and smiled as she looked at the link on her phone, recognising Cain's bedroom in the background. Then Julian turned the camera around and smiled brightly.

“Hi Ronnie!”

She blinked robotically and smiled back.

“Hello Julian.”

“Cain's here, he's ready to talk to you – remember what I said about his speech.”

“Yes. I'll be patient,” she replied.

Then she watched and waited, her human-cyborg mind processing all she had been told, she knew Cain was affected badly by the surgery, but he was still the man she loved. Julian switched the camera to the place beside him. Cain was sitting on a high backed chair, with a pillow behind him for support. The scar on his brow was deep but his black hair was spiked. He still looked like a young Oswald. A young and _very_ damaged Oswald.

“Hello Cain,” she said softly.

He wanted to speak but tears burned in his eyes.

“It's okay,” Ronnie added, “I know everything.”

She held up her hand, showing him the back of it where the knife scar remained.

“Not your fault,” she stated, “And I know what happened to you. I still love you.”

He sat forward, his movements stiff and unsteady as he dragged in a breath.

“ _I...I love … you too!”_

Tears streaked his face.

She heard Julian speak quietly to him, then he patted his shoulder, and Cain looked into the camera again.

“Come back!”

“No, not yet,” she told him, “You have to get stronger. Trust Julian, he will help you. And then we can make a plan.”

“P...Promise?”

She smiled.

“I promise,” she told him.

The call went on, Cain struggling to speak as he tried not to cry, as Ronnie pause patiently waiting for him to talk, and then she gave her reply. By the time the call ended she blinked away tears, but then she smiled. It seemed Oswald and Molly wanted to keep Cain at home, to smother him with protectiveness, but that was not what Cain wanted or needed. She knew exactly what he needed, what they both wanted – and she was sure Julian would help them, too. Cain just need to get stronger, and then, anything was possible...

Little Penguin was very excited as he waddled fast down the corridor of River's clinic. Today his Mommy had brought him over to visit because Herbert was working in the lab on a project helping River, and he had asked so many times for Herbert to teach him science.

“Slow down!” Iris called out as he waddled on ahead.

Little Penguin opened up the door to the lab and hurried in.

“Hello friend!” he said brightly.

As he waddled up to Herbert, Iris caught up and looked in.

“Are you sure about this? I don't want him to get in the way if you're busy.”

“No, that's fine,” Herbert said as he sat at a bench with lab equipment in front of him, “I've just finished up doing a favour for River – Penguin can sit with me for a while.”

“I'll be in the office with River if you need me,” she said, and then she looked intently at her son.

“Be a good boy!”

“Okay Mommy!” Little Penguin said, and then he scrambled up to sit beside him.

“Herbert show Penguin science!” he demanded, and slapped a flipper hand on the table excitedly.

“Let me start by showing you the equipment I've been using while I was helping River today,” he said, and he was about to show him around the lab when Little Penguin suddenly opened his mouth, jabbed a flipper inside and then cleared his throat loudly. Something flew out and landed on the table.

“Tonsil stone!” he said proudly.

Herbert looked down at it. Then he glanced to a bottle of bright green Re Agent nearby and started to smile.

“Maybe I can show you some science happening... it's been in your throat for a while, “ he cautiously poked at it, “And it's got some of your cells in there too – we can't see them because they're tiny, but there's enough there for the magic to work...”

“ _Oh... magic!”_ Little Penguin opened and closed his flippers excitedly, watching as Herbert very carefully dropped a tiny splash of Re Agent on to the tonsil stone. It lit up green, then turned hard and shiny white as it elongated in the shape of a large bean.

“Oh!” Little Penguin exclaimed, “Tonsil stone is moving!”

Herbert watched it closely

“Don't touch it yet... I'm just making sure it's not going to grow anything _extra_...”

He carried on watching the large white bean. It turned up on one end and started to jump then roll, and Herbert caught it quickly.

“I'll need to clean it, then you can keep it. I just turned your tonsil stone into a jumping bean!”

“Penguin likes jumping beans!”

Herbert had gone over to the other side of the room to wash the stone carefully before giving it to Penguin. He heard a rustling sound, then a munching sound took over. _Oh shit, he's found my lunch_ , he thought as he glanced back to see Little Penguin over at his desk, with a bag open and a half eaten sandwich in his hand.

”Penguin like sandwiches!”

“I can see that!” Herbert chuckled, then he found a small container and put the jiggling bean inside it.

“Now you have a tonsil stone and a toy!” he said as he handed it to him.

Penguin smiled broadly and carried on eating.

”Thank you Herbert.”

“My pleasure,” Herbert said kindly,”Have fun with it, Penguin. And enjoy my lunch before you go.”

“Penguin will eat it all!” Little Penguin confirmed.

“Are you looking forward to the party next week?” Herbert asked him, “Lily will be there. I know you get along very well with my daughter.”

Penguin finished the sandwich and paused to belch.

“Lily is Penguin's friend,” he said, nodding in agreement, “She has a tiny voice.”

“Yes, she whispers,” he replied.

“We will have _lots_ of food at the party!” Little Penguin's eyes sparkled brightly at the thought.

“And I don't doubt you'll eat it all!” Herbert said as he laughed.

Herbert wasn't usually into wasting time on drinking and socialising, not when work came first. But this was different. Next week it was Molly's birthday, and Oswald was throwing a big party at the house. Herbert was flattered to be invited. This, he had said to Amy, was confirmation that he was definitely a part of underworld society now...

**One week Later:**

Molly smiled as she opened the velvet covered box and saw the gold necklace inside with a small, heart shaped diamond set into the pendant. “Ozzie, it's beautiful!” she said with a smile, and as she wrapped her arms around him and they shared a kiss, Julian looked on admiring the sight of Molly's hourglass figure wrapped in a dark green dress.

“Happy birthday my dear,” Oswald said as he drew back and their gaze locked, “Let's enjoy the party tonight, we have much to celebrate... Cain's doing well, the kids are all okay and business is good – and I have news! Today I spoke to the company using Ashecliffe Asylum next Halloween, and they were more than willing to accommodate all our private wishes.”

Surprise registered in her gaze.

“They agreed to it?”

“Of course they did, I threw in a cash incentive and said I'll take care of the personal staff we may require – their people don't have to lift a finger to please us! We just get to enjoy Halloween night and indulge in our fantasies.” Oswald's hand crept around to her ass and gave a squeeze, “And after Doctor Cobblepot has finished treating Julian, maybe he will feel up to fucking you while I watch? Won't that be a huge victory for a man who once feared the walls of that wretched place?” As he said that he looked to Julian, who smiled nervously.

“The thought of that place and what's going to happen makes my cock hard and my skin crawl at the same time!” he exclaimed.

“But, back to this evening and your birthday, Molly - the party begins shortly, the guests will be here soon,” Oswald added as he turned from Molly to lift champagne from ice and pop the cork, “Let's have an early toast, just the three of us...”

Upstairs, while Luna was supervising the kids as they rushed about excitedly to get ready for the party, Cain was in his room, his hand unsteadily raking through his hair as he smoothed it at the side and then did his best to spike it on the top. He was sitting at his dressing table, carrying the scent of too much cologne after accidentally, clumsily spilling it on his three piece blue suit, but as he looked into the mirror, he held his head high as he saw hope reflecting in his own gaze. The scar on his brow looked ugly. His hands shook and he walked with a staggering gait, leaning on a cane. He still struggled with his speech and as much as he wanted to feel rage when he thought of why he was so wrecked, he could only cry in frustration and sadness instead.

_Soon it would all change._

_He still had Ronnie._

_She still loved him._

_They were making their plans now, and he would be grateful to Julian forever, for making this happen..._

“Soon,” he said as he looked into the mirror, “Soon, Ronnie... we _will_...be together!”

Then he managed a smile, as hope shone in his gaze. He reached for his cane and got up unsteadily, then drew in a breath, turning to face the door. He would need Julian's help to go downstairs, and then he would spend the evening sitting in the front room while everyone else able to have fun would laugh and dance and as he saw them all having a good time, he would feel the pain of knowing he wouldn't be able to join in. But at least he had hope now – hope of a better life, where his parents didn't treat him like a child and talk to him like he was _poor little Cain_ , as remorse reflected in their eyes. S _oon it would be over. Thanks to Julian, he would be out of here, he would be starting a new life with Ronnie..._

Back downstairs, Molly, Oswald and Julian raised their glasses for a toast as they stood together for an early private celebration before the party began as Oswald's thoughts turned to his plans for one hell of a night with Molly and Julian this coming October.

“Here's to Next Halloween and our night of adventure!” he said.

Molly smiled as their glasses touched. Julian saw their eyes lock as they gazed at one another, as he watched over the rim of his raised glass, considering how much he loved them both – but Cain was a little brother to him. Cain deserved a chance, and he needed someone on his side. That was why, despite his love for Molly and Ozzie, he felt he had no choice but to take Cain's side, because he was the only one willing to do that who understood his situation and his struggle, and knew that _damaged_ didn't mean _finished_. Cain had a future in front of him and he would make sure he got to enjoy it because Cain had said he was all he had left, that he was the only one who had tried to help him, he was the only one who understood. Julian also recalled how Cain had helped him when he had first arrived in Gotham, damaged and struggling, back when Cain had looked on him as his grown up brother who couldn't tie his own shoelaces. Now he would repay the favour for the man he considered his brother, even if Molly and Oswald hated him for it in the end...

Across the bridge and far away from the city, out on the mainland, the office of _Horrors from Hell_ was drenched in blood.

_Real blood._

The couple who owed the business were on the floor with their throats cut and the blood was drying on the carpet and the walls as the new owner who had taken the place by deadly force sat down at the desk, thought about the deal the owners had struck with Oswald before their demise, and chuckled as he opened up a bottle of beer:

_Next Halloween, Ashecliffe Asylum on Shutter Island would be transformed into a horror house called The Gates of Hell. And Oswald Cobblepot would be invited for a private viewing of the place on the night before official opening. Him, his wife and his husband, they would all be coming along to have a night of private fun and kinky sex. The invite for a legitimate tour of the house had been extended to six of Oswald's chosen guests, but the East Wing of the asylum was entirely turned over to Oswald and his spouses._

_They thought they were in for one hell of a night._

_And they would be._

_Just not in the way they expected..._

_He would give them hell._

_Real Hell!_

He laughed darkly at the thought, and then as he sat there as the blood ran down the walls, Izak Coffinwood made his toast.

“ _Here's to next Halloween!”_ he said darkly...

End

Author Note : His Irish Angel Part 10: The Gates of Hell is coming soon!


End file.
